Earth's Vengeance Book One: The Prototype
by The Emcee
Summary: AU. John doesn't remember anything from his past, but he founds out soon enough, and the truth is more strange and frightening than he had hoped it would be. Centon and Barrett/Cena
1. Prologue: Over

A/N: I'm trying something new, but it's something that I've been wanting to do for a while now. This story is a little different than what I usually write, but I'm look forward to writing it. This is an AU/Supernatural story. It will contain Centon and Barrett/Cena among other pairings, therefore if you don't like any sort of gayness, then don't read this fan fiction. Before I begin, I want to make a few points. First, I love reviews; I love to hear from you guys, but please be polite while reviewing. I understand that not everyone will like my fiction or my style of writing or the story line, but please don't be rude; be civilized. Second, and this hasn't happened yet but I'm still putting it in here, don't message me with suggestions or ideas or anything like that. This story is mine and as such, it shall end how I want it to end. Third, don't plagiarize this story, any of my stories, or in general. If you want to write and be an author, then you need to work with your own person. While being inspired is a good thing, stealing is not, and believe me, I've no problem making someone's life a living nightmare for taking what's mine. This may be mean, but that's how I am. Stealing is wrong. Period. So don't do it to me. Thank you. And fourth, I don't own any of the wrestlers used in this story. They have and will never belong to me, which is unfortunate.

And so, I leave you to read on or click back; whatever you decide is fine. For those who stay, please R&R. Enjoy!

**Earth's Vengeance Book One: The Prototype**

**Prologue: Over**

_Back in the 1950's a vast majority of the United Nations' scientists were briefed on an operation that the nations' leaders wished to come about. The United Nations wanted to create no more or less than ten thousand humanoid beings. These beings were to be created from scratch using a lethal combination of modern science and alchemy and were to be given super human abilities. Although the leaders of the United Nations told the scientists that these humanoid beings were purely desired for scientific purposes, their motives were less than honorable. However, their true colors were soon revealed to the scientists and many refused to work on the project. Those who were a bigger threat to the operation were swiftly executed; the others were threatened or bribed. As a result, work began immediately and, before the end of the 1980's, all ten thousand humanoid beings were finished. The first few models were even 'awakened' and allowed to roam throughout the laboratory and interact with others before put back to 'sleep'. _

_The United Nations leaders were more than please; their private super human army would be fully functional before the new millennium. They did not expect one of their leading scientists, Doctor Emil Crawford, to have a change of heart. He put the humanoid beings into a coma-induced state that would last for approximately five hundred years. When word of this reached the United Nations, massive outrage erupted and Crawford was captured and sentenced to death. Before they had captured him, all of his files and notes were given to his assistant who was placed in a capsule in suspended animation. The assistant was not due to awaken for five hundred years. All that the United Nations had worked for was gone._

_During the same period of time, the Earth began to rage. With her temperature slowly, but surely, rising, more earthquakes, more hurricanes, more tornadoes, tsunamis, floods, and volcanic eruptions occurred. Meteorologists from all over the world came together, trying to determine what was going one and how to stop it. Their efforts, however, were futile._

_On the dawn of the first day of the new millennium, the Earth unleashed a fury the likes of which had never before been seen by human eyes. Seas rages. Mountains roared. The continents themselves were demolished. Not even the sun graced the people with its light. For seven long years this went on._

_Seven long years…_

_Then, a ray of sunlight shone bright and true; the first ray of hope in ages. It was the end of the Earth's seven year long rage; a rage that wiped out a vast majority of all life on the planet, humans included. Barely one hundred thousand humans survives. By the time the first few survivors emerged from their safe havens, the world had been turned upside down. The seven great continents were no more; all that remained was one giant land mass similar to Pangaea. Large cites like London, Tokyo, and New York were no more. Life had returned to the 1500's: no electricity, no industry. Her mission complete, the Earth fell back into her sweet slumber. No one left knew of the ten thousand humanoid beings buried underground in a laboratory that had long since been abandoned. Unchanging. Never aging._

_Just…there._

_Five hundred years after the Earth unleashed her fury, the humanoid beings started waking up and emerging from the confines of the laboratory they had been created in. They ran off into the woods surrounding the lab and emerged into the world, forming separate tribes that lived away from people…and each other. Only one was left behind. Doctor Crawford's young assistant awoke as well and left, taking the works of Doctor Crawford with him. He did not see the remaining humanoid being still asleep, and it wasn't until decades later that he returned to awake him: The Prototype._

Glass breaks. Water pours out from all around him. He slumps onto the ground, half in the capsule, half out. His face is pressed against the floor, gasping for breath. Breathe… He can breathe? Confusion. Slowly, he opens his eyes before closing them tightly. A light is shining in his face and he doesn't know why or who is even making it do so. He doesn't know anything. Not even where he is. And he has no memory of anything before now.

The light recoils and a face hidden in darkness and shadow stares down at him, asking him something in words he doesn't understand. Slowly, he opens his eyes and looks up.

John gasps and sits up in his sleeping back, panting slightly. That's the ninety-seventh time he's had that dream. Normally, he doesn't dream, but when he does it's always the same one, starting the same way: with glass breaking. He doesn't understand it and he doesn't know what to make of it. He's contemplated asking Steve about it, but he doesn't feel comfortable doing so just yet. Although he trusted the older man with his life, he didn't want to be laughed at, made a fool of.

But that dream… It's just too bizarre. There's so much he doesn't understand…

Not too far from him, the fire cracks and sparks. It's slowly dying and if it doesn't get enough wood, it'll go out. Unzipping the sleeping bag, John clambers out of it and, tiredly, stumbling into the surrounding woods looking for firewood. Clad only in a pair of jeans and a sweater, he makes his way through the woods, slowly waking up as he does so. Judging by the position of the stars in the sky, it's around one o'clock in the morning. He'd only been asleep for three hours. Not nearly enough, but better than what he usually gets.

His eyes adjust to the darkness and he bends down, surveying the ground around him before picking up a few small sticks. Not nearly good enough. Deeper into the forest he does, stopping often to bend down and pick up sticks and tree limbs. Steve taught him to respect the life around him so if he didn't have to tear of branches to fuel the fire then he wouldn't. Not too far from him, a stick snaps; something is close by. Squinting his eyes, he focuses his sight in the direction of the sound. After staring for a few moments, the shadows move: something is there. Panic floods him and he tries to move, but he can't. He's paralyzed.

John couldn't tear his eyes away from whatever it was that was coming closer to him. When it was close enough, his eyes adjusted to the being and he discovered that it was a large cat. Probably a cougar, and it was staring intently at him. It wasn't snarling or anything, just staring, much like John was doing. His fear slowly faded away and he knew instinctively that the cougar wasn't going to harm him. For some odd reason, a sense of familiarity passed over him. He didn't understand why though because this was the first time he had ever seen a cougar. But when he stared into its soft brown eyes, he felt like he was standing before an old friend, one he hadn't seen in ages.

From out of nowhere, a loud cry rang out and Steve jumped out of the trees and landed between John and the cougar. The cat snarled but didn't move to attack the older man, who was standing straight up, yelling at the beast.

"Go away you foul creature! You've no business with the boy yet! Go one! Get! You can follow us later but leave him be for now! Go!"

Reluctantly and with one last fleeting glance at John, the cougar turned around and jogged off into the darkness from whence it came. Releasing a sigh, Steve turned around and shot John a slight glare before turning and walking in the direction that John came from camp. John followed behind him, not knowing what to make of the scene that had just played before him.

"I figured that you'd wander off. Your sleepless nights are starting you take their toll on me now. John, you know better than to head off into the woods by yourself, especially at night."

"But my eye sight's better than yours. I can see pretty decently enough in the dark; better than you can anyway. Besides, that cougar wasn't going to hurt me."

"No, he wasn't. He had other things on his mind. But still, you can't just walk off by yourself. There are other things, other…creatures out there than cougars."

"I know…" John was feeling incredibly tired now, almost too much to actually pay attention to the old man. They made their way back to their camp site. As Steve fed the fire, John settled back into his sleeping bag. Before he could close his eyes, Steve tapped him on the shoulder. Peering over his shoulder, John came face to face with Steve's hand, upon which sat two small white pills.

"Take these. They'll help you sleep."

"What are they?"

"An old remedy from back in the day. Now shut up and take them. You and I both need the rest. We've still got miles to go until we reach the next town."

John did as he was told and grabbed the pills out of Steve's hand. He swallowed them and laid down in his sleeping bag, closing his eyes. Before too much time had passed, he was out cold, sleeping more soundly than ever before. Thankfully, the dream didn't return and he was able to get some well needed rest.


	2. Chapter 1: Captured

A/N: You guys have no idea how excited I am for this story. Everyday I've had work since I posted the prologue, I've brought in my Tim Burton's _Alice in Wonderland_ Good versus Evil notebook and I've written down ideas, scenes, characteristics, etc. The only other story I've ever done that with is my Kingdom Hearts story that isn't even written up or close to being posted, so you can imagine all of the work I'm pouring into this. I hope that you all enjoy it even more now knowing that I'm taking a lot of care on how I want to go about writing this. Also, the Steve in this story is Steve Austin. I just thought I'd make that official, but I'm sure some of you have probably already figured that out. Anyway, here's the first chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! R&R.

**Chapter One: Captured**

"How long until we reach the nearest town?"

It had been four days since the cougar incident, as John called it, and they were currently making their way through Taback forest. At least, that's what Steve called it, so that must be its name. Of course, something like that wasn't all that important, but what if John ever needed to consult a map? Steve was the one who took care of the maps and directions, but he wasn't going to be around forever. Hell, John didn't even know _what_ they were searching for, or if they were even searching for something. All that he knew was that, since before he could even remember, he had been in Steve's care and he trusted the man with his life and that meant trusting his directions. If Steve didn't think it was important enough for him to know what they were looking for, then John had no right to complain about it.

"We should be arriving there before the day ends."

"And what kind of town is it exactly? Is it like that one town we stayed at where everything was made of wood and stuff?"

Steve chuckled at John's natural curiosity. Outside of that town that they once stayed at, all John really knew was the outdoors. The older man did his best to keep the blonde away from society, although he knew that, someday, John would encounter his own kind. But considering the state of things, taking John into a town too often would be bad. This situation, however, was dire and he needed to show John, to teach him, before it was too late. There was so much that John didn't know yet, about his kind, about the world in general; hell, John didn't even know that he wasn't human. He had to be eased into these things; spilling it on him all at once could be devastating.

"No, it's nothing like Wayward is. The town we're heading to is much larger and the buildings are made of steel. It took the citizens a long time to construct it and since it's a densely populated area, we have to be careful."

"But I thought you said that not many towns were made of such material. That a long time ago there was a massive storm that destroyed a lot of life on the planet."

"I did say that, but you forget that the survivors of that storm were knowledgeable people; they knew how to construct, how to lead, how to create. One of the things that that storm succeeded in was installing fear into people and that's why not many towns are made of steel. The survivors knew how to reestablish life as they knew it to an extent and they documented all that they knew. The rest they left to us. Now, shut the hell up and keep walking or we'll never reach Maynard in time."

Sighing, John continued his march onward, mulling everything Steve had just told him in his head. Years ago, Steve had told him about the Earth's rage and the storm that created the world they knew today. He had a lot of questions that, for some reason, Steve couldn't answer, but that never really bothered him too much. And now they were headed to a town that was rare, a town that was made of steel and metal and concrete, one of the few towns on the planet to be made of such things. John wondered what it'd look like, how it'd smell, what he'd seen, and what he'd feel once he got there. Looking down at his own appearance, he frowned slightly. Ever since he could remember, Steve had forced them to move around to the various forests and wildernesses that the world contained. It wasn't often that he got to sleep in an actual bed and, in all honesty, he preferred his sleeping bag for it was one of many things that he had become accustomed to.

So deep in thought was he that he didn't even notice that Steve had stopped walking and, as a result, he bumped into the older man. Muttering a small sorry, he walked around to Steve's side, looking up at the man, a question about to fall from his lips. It stopped, however, when he saw the look of panic, worry, and rage that had plastered itself on his friend's face. John wasn't sure if he should speak or not because it looked as though Steve was concentrating, but John's senses were sharper than his, so why not just ask John to see if anything was up. Before John could do it himself, Steve had pushed his away from his side and was yelling at him.

"John! Run! Get away from here!"

"What? Steve, what the hell are you talking about? Run where?"

"Toward Maynard. I'll follow you! Just run God damn it!"

Without a second thought, John tore off from his stop and bolted dead ahead. Vaguely, he could hear Steve's own fast footsteps following his and panic seeped into his being. Why had Steve yelled at him like that? What was going on? Were they being chased? And, if so, who, or what, was chasing them? All too soon John received his answers because from out of nowhere he was tackled and sent on the ground, being pinned by a heavy body above his own. Struggling, he tried to escaped but found it impossible for the person on top of him had cuffed his wrists behind his back and was forcing him to stand up. Once he had a good view of what was going on, John saw that both Steve and himself were surrounded by a dozen men wearing nothing but black with scarves wrapped around their heads hiding a majority of their hair and face. All that he could see were the eyes save for one person, who was grinning wickedly at John, nodding in triumph, his yellow teeth showing. Just looking at the man made John's stomach churn and he tried to back away, but found that he was being physically restrained by someone else as well as being cuffed.

"Who are you people?"

"Stalkers!" Steve's voice called out and John looked to his left only to see his friend restrained in the same way he was. There was a cut above his left eye and blood poured down Steve's face, however it didn't look life threatening.

"Stalkers?"

"Yes. They hunt bounties for profit, bringing them in dead or alive."

"That's enough from you, baldy." The Stalker whose face was showing punched Steve, causing him to stumbled back a bit before he returned his intense gaze back to John.

"I've been looking for you for quite some time."

"Why? What have I done to be wanted? I've committed no crime!"

"You're very life is a crime! My boss has been searching for you and your kind for many years, and now that I have you, I'm sure he'll be more than pleased. Especially considered _what_ exactly you are." John's blue eyes narrowed; nothing the Stalker was saying made any sense to him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, boys. We're going home."

Jerking forward, John was led by the two Stalkers restraining him as they followed their leader and the others back from whence they came. Steve was still stumbling and it took him a few minutes to recover from the punch. John wished that he could be up and beside the old man, but he was a few feet behind, following the rest of them. They continued marching towards the Stalkers' home, confusion and fear spreading throughout John's body, not knowing exactly what to think or do. There had to be a way out of this…There just _had_ to be. On they walked, not stopping, not talking, just walking. John didn't know how much time had passed, though it felt like forever, and his wrists were starting to hurt. Again, the endless questions popped into his head.

Who were these Stalkers? Why were they after John? Hell, why was there even a bounty on John? He hadn't done anything illegal or criminal as far as he knew and Steve was the only person he had ever known so he couldn't have wronged anyone. And yet, someone knew of him and had been wronged in some way by him, and now they wanted him, dead or alive. A shiver ran down his spine; this was all so damn confusing! It frustrated him to no end, and all he wanted to do was run away from these people and go…somewhere. Anywhere, as long as it was away from them.

Then, from out of nowhere, one of the Stalkers restraining him loosened his grip. Shocked and nervous, John looked over his shoulder at the fallen man to see an arrow sticking out of his heart, blood slowly dripping from it. He had no time to think about it for long because the second Stalker that was restraining him met the same fate as his friend and panic erupted over the group. While the two restraining Steve backed away from the group, the rest of them drew their own weapons: knives, swords, bows and quivers. They were under attack and their assailants were nowhere to be seen. To John's right a blur flew down from the treetops and landed on one of the Stalkers, killing him instantly due to his head colliding with a rock rather harshly. Another blur came swooping down and right before John's eyes a fight broke out. It was a seven on two battle, but the two, a tall raven haired man and a shorter blonde man, were winning. The Stalker leader ordered the two who were restraining Steve to assist them, but they too were easily defeated and put to rest. Armed with only swords and their bare hands, the two fought on until only the leader was left. With one look, the blonde nodded towards Steve and, obeying the silent order, the raven haired man went to his aid and released him. After Steve was freed, the mysterious man approached John, his green eyes connecting with John's blue.

"Who… Who are you?"

"A friend. I'm here to help you John." John shivered at the accent, but was pleased when he felt his wrists being freed. Once they were, he ran over to Steve to check on his friend. Crouching down, John watched along with Steve as the shorter blonde fought the Stalker leader and won, slashing his throat and grimacing as the body fell onto the ground.

"That…was annoying. You wouldn't believe how annoying these fuckers are. You'd think that they'd learn, all things considered, but no, they don't."

"Who are you?" John's voice rang out strong and true and caught the blonde's attention. With a smirk he stretched, cracking his spine while his friend stood beside him, his pants slowing down as he calmed himself.

"I, my friend, am Chris Jericho. And this young..uh, 'chap' is Wade Barrett."

"Chris, Wade! What are you two doing here? I thought I told you not to follow us anymore?" A look of mock hurt and shock appeared on Chris' face and he walked over to Steve holding out a hand to help him up. Steve took the hand and grunted as he lifted himself up off of the forest floor.

"We weren't following you… For a while. But Wade knew that something was going on yesterday afternoon and we ran like hell to catch up to you guys."

"I forgot that Wade's senses were stronger than John's… Sorry. But now that you've killed these fools, the rest of their clan will be after us! Did you ever stop to think of that?" At Steve's tone and raised voice, Chris flinched and frowned, realized spreading across his face.

"No… I didn't think about that. Shit. And we're near their home, so they probably already know-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Chris was struck in the arm with an arrow and he roared, grasping the wound, glaring off in the direct that the Stalkers had been walking in. Countless figures were fast approaching them, armed and angry and hell bent on revenge. Steve growled and pushed Wade and John in the opposite direction, shouting at them as he drew his own weapon.

"Shit! Well boys, looks like our introductions are over. Wade, take John and lead him to Maynard; you know exactly where he needs to go! Move it!" With a stiff nod, Wade grabbed John by the arm and led them away from Steve and Chris.

"This'll be a bit uncomfortable, but given our current circumstance, we need to move fast. Just hold onto me and you won't be to overexert yourself."

John was confused, but before he could ask what Wade meant, he was lurked forward and was running faster than he had ever ran before. Everything around him was a blur; everything was green and brown and undefined and John just wanted to know what the hell was going on. His hand held onto Wade's tightly, fearing what might happen if he let go. As he looked down at their joined hands he realized that Wade was making them run fast, faster than John had ever run before. It frightened him; there was no way a normal human being should be able to run so fast. What the hell was going on? Too much had happened over a short period of time and running as fast as they were didn't make processing it any easier.

Expertly, Wade dodged trees, bushed, boulders, and anything else that got in his way. Such skill and yet the raven haired man made it all look so easy, it astounded John and he felt a little envious of the man. Some of Wade's talent must have seeped into him as well though because John was dodging just as expertly even though he knew damn well that, had this been one of Steve's training exercises, he wouldn't be dodging anything like he was doing currently. They had been running so fast that the only sounds John heard now were pants and grunts and the scenery passing by quickly. He had no idea how long they had been running, but John knew that it must've been for at least fifteen minutes if not more and he was thankful, for once, that he didn't tired out easily.

It wasn't too long before Wade slowed down and then stopped entirely, looking around and listening carefully for sounds of approaching footsteps. John listened as well and was glad to find that the only sounds he heard came from the wildlife that resided in the forest. Good, that meant that those Stalkers weren't close by…for now. But what about Steve and that other guy, Chris? Were they okay? Did the Stalkers capture them? As if he were reading John's mind, Wade spoke up his green eyes locking with John's blue ones before he looked away quickly.

"They'll be fine. Steve and Chris have known each other for a long time, longer than I've know Chris. If anyone should be afraid, it's the Stalkers."

John nodded and leaned against a nearby tree. Wade paced around for a spell, listening and looking about before he nodded to himself and motioned for John to follow him. Although he didn't know the other man, the blonde followed him nonetheless, feeling safe with him, safe enough to trust him not to kill him anyway.

"Considering the Stalkers interruption, it'll take another day to reach Maynard. Don't worry; I'm a skilled fighter both with my weapons and with my bare hands. Besides, judging from the look of you and how Steve is, I'll bet that he's trained you a bit on combat." John nodded.

"Yeah, he's made me do exercises and stuff. I never really understood why though."

"To hone your skills of course. John…what all has Steve told you?" Slightly puzzled by Wade's question, John looked up at him before returning his gaze forward as they continued walking.

"Well, Steve told me about how the Earth created a massive storm that destroyed a lot of life. He told me that there are very few towns made of steel. He taught me how to hunt, cook, forage, and survive off the land. And, according to him as well as my own observations, I've got good senses, better than his in fact. I've been with the guy ever since before I could remember. I have no idea who I was before that though, and I've never really asked him about it. Why do you ask?"

"…Only curious is all. I need to know where you stand on everything. John, it's just you and me now, and we've got to work together if we're going to avoid those Stalkers and find out what Steve wanted to teach you. I know for a fact that he had other plans in mind for you and I know that all of those plans will be revealed once we get to Maynard. All of your questions, and believe me, I know you have questions, will be answered there as well. For the time being, our arriving at our destination is of utmost importance."

Wade stopped walking and turned to face John who, in turn though a bit reluctantly, turned to face the raven haired man as well. Staring into John's bright blue eyes, Wade saw fear, uncertainty, hesitation, and confusion. Such a look made Wade frown; he hated seeing that look on John's face, but he knew that he had to focus on the mission and bringing John to Maynard.

"John, I understand that everything that just happened to you is hard to comprehend. Within no time at all, you've been kidnapped and separated from the only person you've known. But please trust me. We're more alike than you know John, and I promise that we'll get through this together. You're not alone; even if Steve is gone, I'm here and I'm your friend. Just…trust me."

Looking into Wade's green eyes, John saw nothing but honesty and truth and he knew that, regardless of what his mind told him, he had trusted him the moment he met him. Biting his lower lip, John nodded, flashing the taller man a brief smile before speaking.

"I trust you Wade. Really, I do." Wade smiled and nodded.

"Good. Now, let us be on our way, shall we?"

And together, they continued walking through Taback Forest, heading towards the one place that would give them the answers to many questions: Maynard.


	3. Chapter 2: Revelation

A/N: I am so happy that I've finished another quarter at school and am now starting a new one. I passed with all A's; yay me! And this quarter should be easy because I have the same teacher for two classes and he's very laid back. So hopefully, that means that I can write more this quarter. Anyway, here's another chapter; I hope you like it. Thank you for reading it. R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Two: Revelation**

John and Wade continued their journey through the forest, no longer in danger and taking their time. It would be nightfall soon and John didn't know whether or not Wade was going to make camp or not. He hoped so, because his energy was draining quickly and he was falling behind. His legs felt heavy, almost like stone, and he was panting slightly. He needed to sleep and soon, for sleeping allowed him to regain his energy. This wasn't the first time he's felt so drained; about a year or so ago, he felt the same way while traveling with Steve, but he was able to stop and sleep for a few hours before it got any worse.

Steve…

How was Steve doing? Was he okay? Was Chris okay? Where were they both now? Were they dead? Steve was his only companion, his father of sorts and his best friend. The older man taught him so many things and explained so much to him. John's blue eyes narrowed as he thought about the Stalkers. Had it not been for them, he'd still be with Steve and they would probably be in Maynard by now. And all the things that their leader had said to him…they didn't make any sense. Confusion. That was what clouded his mind more often than not and it didn't help given his current energy deficiency.

Wade must have been more than ten feet away from him. He really couldn't tell for his vision was beginning to blur a little. God, he must be really exhausted and worn out if his vision was failing him. Shaking his head, John stumbled forward clumsily, blindly grabbing onto tree branches and sticks, trying to get a firm grip to help him make his way. He didn't make it very far before exhaustion won over and he fell to his knees on the ground. Closing his eyes, John slumped forward, gasping, trying to regain his composure but failing miserably at it. What the hell was going on with his body? Everything felt so hot; scorching almost, like his very body was on fire. It was painful and he yelled out but he couldn't hear his voice. His senses were blocked or something, because he couldn't hear anything except for his own thoughts; he could see anything or feel anything except for the heat.

Just as soon as the heat came, it went; replaced by a freezing ice that numbed him to the bone and made him wish for the heat. And then, everything stopped; the icy feeling, the very world around him. And then, his body erupted, almost as though it had been consumed by fire. Whatever it was that was happening to him was so powerful that it raised him from his crouching position to back on his knees, his arms feeling limp at his sides even though they were suspended in mid air. His head was tilted back but his senses were still cut off aside from the scream that was rumbling out of his own throat. John was frightened and confused and wanted whatever the hell was going on to end!

Then, almost as if it heard his command, it stopped and he was slumped forward, gasping and cringing at all the sounds around him. Loud footsteps were fast approaching him and he was hit with an unexpected wave of fear and dread which soon faded away once the footsteps had stopped in front of him. Squinting blue eyes looked up and saw Wade's face, panting but looking relieved all at the same time. It made John even more confused and he groaned, closing his eyes and wincing. Another stab of foreign emotion shot through him: concern, but it soon faded. Kneeling down, Wade, hesitantly, placed his hand on John's shoulder, wanting to ask if he was okay. But as soon as Wade's hand touched John, the shorter man cried out in pain as emotions, past and present, flooded through his being along with a select few memories that came with some of the emotions. Memories that were Wade's, not his own, soon took over and John was Wade, looking out at strangers dressed in lab coats through the liquid filled capsule that he was contained in.

Slowly, he lifted a hand and saw Wade's hand press against the glass. A scientist, one that John recognized even though he knew that he had never seen him before in his life, approached the capsule and smiled widely, scribbling down notes and calling another scientist over. Confusion mixed with a strong sense of curiosity; that's what John – or rather, Wade – was feeling in his memory. But why was Wade inside of a capsule surrounded by scientists? What was going on? Why could John feel Wade's emotions and even see his past memories when the raven haired man touched him? Nothing made sense, but thankfully, the memory ended and John was brought back to reality. Wade's hand was no longer touching him and John took a moment to catch his breath. On unsteady legs, he lifted himself up with some assistance from Wade who, probably when John was having that odd vision, had put gloves on. His blue eyes met Wade's green ones and he felt his companion's emotions once again: concern, worry, and fright. Coughing a bit, John opened his mouth to speak, needing to ask Wade a question, not caring if his voice sounded like crap or not.

"What…what just happened to…to me?"

"You just gained you first ability, John. It came late but then again, you have no recollection of who, or rather what, you are…we are."

"The Stalker leader said something about that… What...what am I Wade?" John didn't need to look into those green eyes to know that Wade was feeling hesitant and unsure; he felt them himself and it confused the living hell out of him. Reluctantly and not sure of himself, Wade began to explain.

"You and I are one in the same, along with several thousands of our 'brothers' and 'sisters' out there." Wade paused, judging John's reaction before he continued.

"We are not human, John. We were not born from mothers and fathers; we have no blood relations at all. We are humanoid creatures created by scientists for some ungodly purpose."

John leaned against a tree, still reeling from what just happened as his mind tried to comprehend the words that just escaped Wade's lips. So, he wasn't human; he was some…some sort of creature, monster even, created by scientists. He had no parents, no family, yet there are others like him and Wade out there. For some reason, John expected all of his past memories to come rushing back to him, but they didn't. He was still as clueless and past-less as ever. His heart ached; it explained so much: why he rarely ran out of stamina, why his senses were stronger than Steve's… Steve. Did Steve know about him, about what he was? Surely, he must have; it explained a lot of the cryptic things the older man would say to him. A sudden thought popped into his head and John looked up at Wade.

"Chris… That Chris guy you were with… Is he…?"

"One of us? Yes, he is. My mentor and the leader of our little clan of nomads."

"When were we… Were we recently…made? Or…"

"According to many documents and files, most of which Steve possesses, we were created long before our time now. Back before the Earth unleashed hell upon humanity." John sniffed and nodded, feeling hot tears forming. He didn't know why this upset him so much, but it did, and all he wanted to do was scream, unleash his own fury upon anyone who was close to him.

It was all too much to handle. John was skeptical, but he knew deep down in his heart that what Wade had just told him was true. Where was Steve now that he needed him most? Nowhere; hell, he could be dead and John wouldn't know it. He just had to get away, to run as fast as he could somewhere, anywhere, he didn't care as long as it was away from here. Without warning or any word to Wade, John bolted and took off running in some random direction. The wind whipped around him and stung his eyes a little, but he didn't care; all he cared about was getting away. But away from what? Wade? All he did was tell him the truth; John had no reason to be angry at him and he wasn't, but for some reason, he just needed to run away.

His legs carried him faster than they've ever carried him before and he was amazed at how faster he could now that he had his…ability? Is that what Wade had called it? What were these abilities anyway? Some sort of talent or something that the scientists programmed into him? Well, whatever it was, he didn't want it. John didn't want to be able to feel the emotions of others or see their most powerful memories if they touched him; he could barely control his own emotions for the love of God! How could be deal with others' emotions? Shaking his head, he continued running. Steve never told him how large Taback Forest was, but, on some level, he was surprised that he hadn't left it yet.

Time passed by him as he ran. Eventually, he grew tired once again and he slowed down and stopped, leaning on a tree for support. The adrenaline rush he had been experiencing was starting to wear off and the exhaustion began to slowly take over. As he caught his breath, John looked around him. Night had fallen upon him as he ran and through the trees he could see the stars. A sense of calm came over him and he sighed; looking at the stars always made him feel better and they made it possible for him to think more clearly. With a nod, John looked down and took a deep breath, trying to sort out all of his jumbled thoughts. He was a humanoid product of the imaginations and ingenious of scientists from a long, long time ago. Apparently, he also had powers and skills that humans didn't possess. Steve had numerous files that could help him get a better understanding of what he was and he must have hidden them somewhere in Maynard, which is why he was so hell bent on getting John there. And, according to Wade, Steve, and his own understanding, he didn't remember anything prior to waking up with Steve years ago.

A loud sound snapped John out of his train of thought. The sound of a branch breaking and falling to the ground. And then, the sound of heavy footsteps and movement rang out strong and true. John wasn't alone anymore and he had been a fool to not keep a more vigilant watch on his surroundings. Whatever it was that was stalking him, it was getting closer; he could feel its gaze upon him and it made him shiver.

Straightening up, John stepped away from the tree and peered around the darkness, looking for movement. His senses must have increased for he was able to see much better in the dark now and it didn't take him long before he spotted what he had been looking for. Hidden within the foliage was the body of a large beast, much large than him, and it was currently maneuvering about the woods, circling him as a predator would do to its prey. An unpleasant shiver ran down John's spine and he stepped away from it. Steve had told him that large beasts existed apart from the ones they would hunt and eat, but John had never seen any of them. The only 'large beast' he had ever seen was that cougar and its size paled in comparison to the creature currently hunting him.

John's first instinct was to run, but he couldn't move. Foolishly, he hoped and prayed that the creature couldn't see him very well, but he knew that that wasn't the case. Still scanning the body of the beast as it circled him, John's eyes saw two large glowing orbs near the top of the body: they were the beast's eyes. From there, his eyes roamed down the body and he saw that the thing was covered in thick, dark fur and had long forelegs and short back legs. The bulkiness of the body told him that the beast was made for strength, not speed and that gave him hope. Enough hope to look back up at the thing's eyes and he was startled to find that they were glaring directly at him. Immediately, John ran as fast as he could from where he was standing.

Blood pumped throughout his body. His heart beat quickened. Gasping and maneuvering throughout the forest was difficult due to his depleting energy and his legs felt heavy once again. John knew that he wouldn't be able to keep running for much longer which wasn't a good thing judging by the thundering footsteps and growls that came from behind him. The beast was hot on his trail and all hope of escaping soon fled him. Stupid. How could John be so stupid as to fun off and not know what animals lived in this forest? Why didn't he carry a weapon on him, one that could kill a beast like that? All of the fights he had been in – which weren't that many granted – had been fists fights, fights that he had one. He was good with hand to hand combat; Steve had praised him for it on occasion, but such a skill served him little now.

All of a sudden, his foot snagged something and John was sent tumbling to the ground below him. His face hit dirt and leaves and he gasped, shocked and stunned by what just happened. The creature's footsteps slowed from behind him and John quickly turned over. Not even ten feet away from him was the creature, its large head bowed and its lips curled back revealing two rows of sharp, bloodied teeth. A foul odor protruded from its mouth and John had to cover his mouth and nose with his one hand to keep himself from gagging. Closer, the creature prowled and John backed away from it until he hit a tree. He was done for. There was no way in hell he'd be able to fight something so large and monstrous. And Steve was no longer with him and he ran away from Wade so there was no one to help him. Or so he thought.

A vague whistling sound cut through the beast's growls and snarls and, before John even had the time to comprehend it, an arrow was jutting out from one of the creature's eyes. It wailed and screeched before another one joined its brother and the creature stumbled and reeled. Then, from the tree tops above, Wade fell down onto the animal's back and retrieved a sword from his belt. With a fierce aggression that John had never seen before, the raven haired man stabbed the beast's head with his sword and twisted it. A sick, crunching and squishy sound was heard and the beast stumbled more before it toppled over on its side. By that point, Wade had jumped off of it and was staring down at it, his green eyes holding little emotion except for relief.

When Wade turned and faced him, John felt a wave of relief and irritation. Wade walked over to him and extended a hand which John gladly took. Upon seeing that the shorter man was okay, Wade sighed and nodded and John was glad to feel that his companion was pulling his emotions together. As he brushed himself off, he looked down at the creature and felt a bit sorry for it.

"What is that thing?"

"A Ki-shreader. They're very rare and very powerful and very aggressive. You're lucky that I was following you or it would have killed you." Wade sighed before his green eyes searched for John's blue ones. Tilting his chin up, Wade stared at him before he spoke.

"I know that you're overwhelmed right now, but you shouldn't run off like that. You're just starting to develop your own abilities John and you need time to hone them before you can strike off on your own." John felt ashamed and he tried to look down, but Wade would have none of that. He kept a tight grip on John which forced him to keep their eyes locked.

"I'm sorry… It's so..so hard to understand, to get a hold of. If Steve were here…"

John's voice choked up and a strong sense of dread over came him. He was so worried and afraid for his friend…his father figure. So many things could be happening to Steve: he could be capture, tortured, beaten, or worse, he could be dead. Dead. Long gone and John would have no way of knowing it. And if he didn't know it then he could give his mentor and friend the burial and respect that he deserved. Ever since John could remember, Steve had been taking care of him and what had he done to repay that? Steve had trusted Wade to keep John safe and to take him to Maynard and how did John repay that? By running off and ignoring all of the things that Steve had taught him.

Without warning or notice, Wade wrapped his arms around John and pulled him into a tight hug. The hot tears that had showed up earlier finally fell from John's blue eyes and he buried his head in Wade's shirt, gripping it tightly as he silently cried. He felt Wade rub soothing circles across his back and John slowly began to calm down, feeling a bit better at having someone with him, a friend, someone that Steve trusted.

"It's alright John. Everything will be alright. You'll see. We'll arrive at Maynard soon and you'll finally be able to fully understand everything that we are. You have absolutely no idea how special you are, even among our kind. If I let anything happen to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. So please, don't run off again and allow me to help you through this." John nodded and chewed on his bottom lip. It felt nice, really nice, to have a friend who was like him and was willing to help him through this.

"Good. Now, let's rest for a bit. I'm sure you're exhausted in more ways than one."

Letting go, Wade rolled out their sleeping bags while John watched. For the first time since all of this craziness had started, John felt truly calm and at peace. He didn't know if those feelings came from Wade or if they were his own, but he liked them and he didn't mind them. After everything was set up, John nestled into his sleeping bag and fell asleep almost instantly.


	4. Chapter 3: Found

A/N: Another one? Oh yes, another one. I love this story and I love writing the chapters; I just can't help myself. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Three: Found**

He's standing still inside a capsule full of water or something like it. Slowly, he opens his eyes. Nothing. Complete darkness. Dipping his head back down into its previous position, he closes his eyes once more and he waits. Glass breaks. Water pulls out from all around him. John slumps onto the floor; half of his body still inside the capsule while the other half is laying outside of it. His face is pressed to the floor and he's gasping for breath. From somewhere above him, a light shines down and his eyes squint, nearly closing, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. The light is turned away from his face and someone is staring down at him, hidden within the darkness and shadow that surrounds them. A voice is calling out to him, asking him something, but it sounds so far away.

That voice…It sounds so familiar. Looking up, John can barely make out the facial features of this person.

But that voice…

It sounds like…Steve…

John shot up in his sleeping bag, gasping and panting, his heart racing. God, he hated having that dream and this time it was worse. He had seen more, but it still didn't make sense to him. And Steve's voice…that was new too. Of course, maybe he only dreamt about hearing Steve's voice because he missed him. Yeah, that was probably it; he just missed Steve so he heard him in his dream. At least, that's what he told himself; in all honesty, it didn't make him feel any better about the dream or anything he had seen in it. Ninety-eight times; he's had the same damn dream ninety-eight times.

Sitting up, John looked around the area where he and Wade decided to sleep in during the night. Beside him on his left, was Wade's empty sleeping back. Reaching out, he touched it; it was still warm, so he couldn't be too far. Stretching and cracking his back, John stood up and, just before he went to walk off, Wade dropped down from one of the trees surrounding them and landed beside John, grinning mischievously as he went to roll up his sleeping bag.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what, precisely John?"

"Drop down from trees like that. It's kind of creepy and weird and just plain goofy." Wade stopped grinning for a moment as he processed what John just said. Shrugging, he continued rolling up his sleeping bag until it was tucked in and neat.

"I suppose I do it more out of habit than anything else. Chris loved climbing around on trees and rocks and anything else that was high up. He liked keeping an eye on things from a bird's perspective. And he had an ability for it: wind manipulation. Hated using it though; he always complained about whiplash." John laughed and rolled up his own sleeping bag, tying it tightly before he slung it over his shoulder.

"Today, my friend, we shall finally reach Maynard. So let's start walking and we'll make it there before all of the eateries close. I don't mind hunting, but I need something aside from vermin and rodents to keep my spirits up."

Nodding in agreement, John walked beside Wade as they continued their journey to Maynard. He felt better knowing that it wasn't that far away and that he'd soon be learning what Steve wanted him to know. They didn't talk as they made their way through the woods; it was too early for it and, although Wade seemed to be in a talkative mood, he was probably keeping an eye on their surroundings. It made John think about all of the things he didn't know about the raven haired man. Questions started popping into his mind and, before he could stop himself, his mouth opened and unleashed its curiosity on his unknowing friend.

"Wade?"

"Hm?"

"You said that Chris was the leader of your little pack of nomads."

"That's right."

"Who else is with you?"

"My clan only has four people, since we're constantly on the move and what not. There's myself, Chris who is our leader, Justin and Heath. And before you ask, yes, all four of us are just like you."

"Do you all have special abilities?"

"To my knowledge, every single one of us humanoid beings has at least one ability. I don't know how many we may receive, but I've seen some who have numerous; those are usually the tribal leaders."

"There are tribes?" Wade laughed at the childlike curiosity that displayed itself in John's questions and John felt a twang of glee, something that made him smile. He liked hearing Wade's laughter and seeing him smile; he didn't do it very often – at least, not in the brief time that John had known him – and he didn't like that. Steve always told him that John had a way about him that made people smile and laugh.

"There are many tribes, some bigger than others. On that note, please dedicate it to memory that there are six major tribes of our…ah, race; all named after the place that they've settled in. One of them is the Jimen tribe which is located in a desert. Another one's located around Phoenix Point which is a mountain peak. And I do believe that there's one located somewhere around this forest. Not too sure where, but Chris told me that there's definitely one here."

John thought over this as they continued walking. So, there were a lot of beings like him and Wade out there; enough to form large tribes at least. It's kind of odd, knowing that there are so many like him and yet never once has he met any of them, at least to his knowledge. They kept walking, making their way closer and closer to Maynard. A few feet from them, John heard a twig or branch snap and he turned his head towards the sound. Something hard and heavy connected with the side of his head and he went down. Wade hissed and turned towards them, reaching for his weapon, but he too was brought down unexpectedly. Seemingly out of nowhere, they were surrounded by people and being tied up. Shaking his head, trying to stop the pain and dizziness, John looked up, expecting to see more Stalkers. However, he was met with sharp, penetrating blue eyes that were narrowed in a glare.

"Finally, I've found you. Do you have any fucking idea how hard it's been tracking you down? And look at you; you're bleeding. I guess I shouldn't have hit you that hard, but I need to be sure that I can control you before I bring you to him."

The man speaking had short brown hair and pouty lips. His sharp blue eyes held agitation and impatience. Judging by his height, John was taller than him but he still had this air about him, one that made John's skin crawl. Just looking at the guy annoyed John for some reason and he realized that he was probably feeling the brunette's annoyance. Looking over at Wade, he saw that Wade was wincing as blood poured from a cut above his right eye and ran down into his eye and down his face. Although it looked bad, he could tell from that it wasn't severe. Turning his attention back to the man in front of him, John was startled as his own blue eyes connected with the cold, sharp ones of his captor.

"Don't worry about your friend, John. No harm will come to either of you…yet. That's not what Randy wanted and, although I could beat him, I don't want to be bothered by a fight. Bad enough that he's keeping something from me. Anyway, Kyle!" From beside Wade, a small brunette teen looked up and wandered over to the older man.

"I want you to run as fast as you can to Castle Lake and tell Randy that we've got what he wanted and that we'll be there soon. Move it!" Startled at the urgency in the older man's voice, the teenager nodded and dashed off past the man, running faster than Wade did. It shocked John; these weren't normal people, they were just like him.

"Who are you?" The brunette man turned his attention back to John and smirked down at him.

"You can call me Miz. Get them up on their feet. We've got places to go, people to see, you know the drill."

John was hauled to his feet by four others while Wade was forced up by five. Unlike the Stalkers, they weren't roughed around or jerked, but John got the feeling that they'd be quickly subdued if Wade or himself tried anything. Although he had no reason to trust them, he felt a sort of kinship with Miz and his tribe and, given what Miz had said earlier, they weren't in any danger. In fact, they were wanted by some guy named Randy, although he didn't know why.

With Miz leading the way, John and Wade were shuffled along behind him. John's blue eyes scanned the area around them; although it was just the ten of them within his line of vision, John suspected that there were more hidden around the woods or even above them. He knew he was right because all of the emotions that he was feeling were practically overwhelming him. It took him all he had no to stumble and reel, although that probably had a lot to do with the others around him, moving him forward and keeping him standing. But that didn't stop the massive migraine that was pounding in his head.

How the hell could he stop all of these emotions from overwhelming him? Not only were they hard to handle, but they were starting to cause him pain. So many emotions… They were all hard to process and difficult to understand. However, Miz's emotions were the most strong and prominent: annoyance, aggravation, desperation, and distrust. Was this Randy person the reason behind all of these negative emotions? Miz did mention that he had something that belonged to him; what could that be? And was that the reason why Miz had captured him and Wade? Probably. John was positive that that was the reason why; it made sense to him at least.

No one spoke for the longest time. Hours passed before the first conversation started and even then it was mumbled and too low for John to understand what they were saying. Wade, however, seemed to be hearing what they were saying and, if his facial expressions were any indication, it wasn't suitable for young ears. Not able to stand the silence anymore, John spoke up.

"Hey, where are you taking us exactly?" Miz kept walking, not bothering to turn around to answer John's question. But John didn't need to see his face to tell that he was smirking; it was evident in his tone of voice.

"To the tribe residing at Castle Lake. I thought that you would've picked up on that." John frowned but then shrugged it off and continued his questioning.

"This Randy guy, who is he anyway?" A soft sigh escaped Miz's throat and he shook his head.

"Don't you know anything, John?"

"He was just informed of what he is and of our kind not too long ago." Wade's voice interrupted their conversation. Upon hearing those words, Miz stopped dead in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at John. The look of shock and disbelief reflected the feelings that John picked up on and he squirmed a bit under the penetrating gaze.

"Really? Really? Are you kidding me?" John shook his head and Miz frowned.

"Silvis! Come here please." A blonde man dropped down from a tree and straightened himself up, peering up at Miz with a bored expression on his face.

"Tell me if John or Wade is lying about what was just said. And be quick about it; the sooner we get to Castle Lake, the sooner we can be on our way."

The short blonde approached John and stared up at him, his brown eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the taller man. John's blue eyes met with brown and he quickly looked away, feeling uncomfortable. Nodding to himself, Silvis turned towards Wade who met his stare dead on, almost in a defiant manner. Another nod and Silvis turned back Miz.

"They speak the truth. There's no deception here." And with that, he left, grabbing onto a nearby tree branch and hoisting himself up. Miz groaned and shot a quick glare at Wade and John before he started walking again.

"Tell me, Johnny boy, what exactly _do_ you know?" Although John was liking Miz less and less, he answered him all the same, not wanting to cause any more trouble.

"Just that we're not human and that we have abilities that human's don't have. That there are a lot of us; enough to form tribes. Wade's told me that there are six major tribes and that yours is one of them." At that, Miz smirked and held his head a little bit higher, pride radiating off of his light a lamp.

"Did he now? Who knew that Wade could be so nice? Is there anything else I ought to know?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. John just received his first ability; he is sensitive to the emotions of others and can feel them. So try and keep yourself in line Miz." Cold blue eyes whipped around and glared into Wade's green ones.

"We may be 'brothers' Wade, but don't think that I won't kill you if you insult me again." Wade smirked as they continued walking and shook his head.

"If you think you can beat me, then let's have at it. I've got all the time in the world. Don't you?" A low growl escaped Miz's throat and he turned back around and continued walking.

"If we weren't in a hurry, I'd dispose of you right now. As it stands, Randy awaits us and he's not exactly what one would call patient. Getting back to your question, John… Randy is the leader of Castle Lake. He's one of the strongest of our kind and many of us look up to and respect him, although he's nowhere near as awesome as I am."

"What's he want with Wade and I?" A grin spread across Miz's face and John was filled with a sickening glee. Wade looked down, unable to hide the frown or stop the dislike that practically rolled off of him.

"Oh, he doesn't want Wade. All Randy wants is you. And believe me John-John, you'll find out soon enough."


	5. Chapter 4: Destined

A/N: Here's another chapter. I hope you like it! R&R. Enjoy.

**Chapter Four: Destined**

With Miz in the lead, they continued to make their way through the forest. Even when night fell and John was beginning to feel drowsy, they kept on moving, never stopping. Nothing happened as they made their way until early in the morning, when the teenager Kyle returned with Randy's message. From what John could pick up, they weren't that far away and they'd be welcomed by Randy and his clan. Again, John pondered on what Randy was like. Was he tall or short? Strong or weak? What about him made him their leader? What abilities did he possess? Despite himself, John wanted to meet him, to see what he was like both in looks and in personality. After he was finished speaking to Kyle, Miz looked over his shoulder and stared at John.

"We should be at Castle Lake within three hours. It'll still be dark, but we'll get there. Don't fall asleep now." A smirk crossed his face and the brunette turned around and started walking again. John and Wade were pushed along after him and the others followed behind them.

So, they'd be seeing Randy in a few hours; excitement and dread started filling him and John wondered why. After all, this was his first time meeting the man so he had no reason to dislike him. However, there was always the possibility that Randy was planning on using him as a pawn in some scheme or something like that. At that thought, John laughed slightly and shook his head; he was tired and his mind was thinking strange things. If he had gotten some sleep, he wouldn't be thinking such outrageous things. Or maybe he was still in shock about everything that had happened and this was merely a nervous reaction. Either way, John knew one thing for sure: the sooner they arrived at Castle Lake, the sooner all of his questions about Randy would be answered.

Onward they marched and the sky began to brighten, revealing that time was indeed passing. As they got closer to their destination, the trees began to thin and spread out and soon, they stepped out of the forest and onto a stony plain. Boulders rose up from the ground and sat upon each other, giving the area a dreary, grey appearance. Large patches of stone sat in the ground and small patches of grass grew at random points. Relief flooded John and he knew, by the look on Miz's face, that it came from the shorter man. Whatever it was that Randy had of Miz, it must have been incredibly valuable to warrant such strong feelings. The group continued walking past boulders and hills until they came upon a large, crystal lake that shimmered and waved at them as though it were greeting them.

From across the lake, John saw a large castle rise out from a stone wall and he knew how this territory got its name. Still, even though the castle loomed forebodingly over them, it was a beautiful sight, one that John couldn't help but appreciate. Panic and fear slammed into his being hard and John staggered a bit as he was ushered around the lake and towards the castle. Looking over at his left, John saw Wade struggling against his bindings, trying to break free. Something about this place made the raven haired man distraught and it upset John to see his friend so upset. Turning his head back towards the castle, John silently wondered if Randy was the reason behind this or if it was the place in general. Regardless, he'd find out soon enough.

Within minutes, they arrived at the gates of the castle and Miz called up to the two men who stood guard over it, asking them to open up. Groaning loudly, the large wooden gates separated and revealed the castle town held within. Miz rolled his eyes and walked in, leading the group into the town. John was surprised and shocked at seeing so many beings like him living in one area. From far away, the castle didn't look all that big, but up close and personal, it was and, from the looks of it, it housed hundreds, maybe even thousands of beings like himself. Being so close to so many of his kinsman made John feel embarrassed; these people probably knew everything about their kind and he just recently found out what he was. Would this affect him and his relations with others of his kind? He recalled Miz's shocked and disbelieving expression and then he thought of Wade and how accepting he had been. Perhaps not all of them would react the way Miz had.

They continued on a dirt pathway past the town and John saw that there was a group waiting for them. A man stood a few feet in front of the group and the first thing that John noticed about him was his eyes. Pale, icy blue eyes gazed down at them and when they met John's they sent a shiver down his spine. The man's lips quirked in an awkward smirk and held his head proudly, scrutinizing the group, and John, as they neared. Once they were close enough, about a few feet away, John was able to take a closer look at the man. He was tall and tan with arms covered in ink. Although his head was shaven, John could tell that he had once had dark colored hair. Whoever this man was, he was incredibly attractive, and he knew it too. Miz stood in front of him and practically glared up at the man who kept his eyes fixed on John, who fidgeted uncomfortable under the gaze.

"I've brought him to you Randy, just like I agree. Now, give me back what's mine." So that was Randy. A slight blush appeared on John's face; he had just thought that Randy was attractive. Lord help him if the man could read minds. For a brief moment, Randy peered down at Miz who gazed definitely back.

"Ted, bring him out. Mike has kept up his part of our deal; it's time I honored my own."

A tall blonde standing on the right side of Randy a few feet back nodded and ran up the pathway quickly. Although John felt the relief emanating from Miz, when Randy's eyes shifted back to him, he felt awkward and incredibly out of place. He looked over at Wade and saw that his friend was no longer struggling, but he looked very unhappy and kept his green eyes fixed to the ground, refusing to look up and it appeared to John that he was trying to shrink, as though hiding from the world. Agitation flickered through John briefly before it was quelled and when he looked back at Randy he saw a fire burning bright in his eyes, which were trained on Wade and sending him a death glare. The sound of feet shuffling caught John's attention and looked up and saw that Ted was pushing someone along whose head was covered in a tan sack. Miz stepped forward and caught the man as Ted practically threw him at the brunette. A small smile broke out Miz's face as he pulled off the sack and tossed it aside, revealing the handsome countenance of a slightly taller blonde.

"Alex…"

"Mike…" They stared at each other for a second before Alex broke away from Miz's grasp and glared at the brunette.

"You fucker! How dare you trick me into being with you?"

"Alex it's not my fault! You weren't happy as a nomad. Your rightful place is at my side. I know you've felt it Alex so don't lie to me."

"Of course I feel it! But I want to be able to chose what I want to do! For the love of fucking God Mike, don't you ever just…listen?" And with that, Alex took off, running down the pathway and into town with Miz at his heels. John watched them go and he felt bad for them especially considering that he could feel Alex's anger and Miz's pain. A soft chuckle brought him back to the situation at hand and he saw that Randy had, soundlessly, approached them for he was now standing beside John.

"Mike's got his work cut out for him. But at least he finally left. You may go as well; follow that…_leader_ of yours and go home."

Immediately, John and Wade were released and the rest of Miz's gang turned around and walked away, some sending curious glances over their shoulders as they did so. John felt a tug on his wrist bindings and he realized that he was being untied. Wade, however, remained bound and kept his gaze low, trying to attract as little attention as possible. Although John figured that Wade may be able to keep his emotions from affecting him, on some level he could still feel his friend's panic and nervousness and it worried him.

"Finally, they're all gone. Now, we can get back to business." Randy's pale, icy blue eyes met the bright blues that belonged to John and he could help but shift under the gaze, blushing a little bit more. A faint smiled appeared on the taller man's face as he brought a hand up and gently traced John's cheeks and jaw line.

"I don't recall you being this bashful when we first met, John-John."

"He's lost his memory. He doesn't know much of anything and he's only recently found out about what he is exactly." Wade's voice was faint and hoarse, but John heard it plain as day. Randy straightened up and glared down at the hunched over man.

"What makes you so sure of that, scumbag?"

"Look into his eyes, Randy. You'll see, just like I did, that something's amiss here." Hesitantly, Randy looked down at John and it unnerved the shorter man that those eyes seemed to be gazing into his very soul. Of course, given the different abilities that their kind may have, that may have been the case. Whatever Randy had seen while looking at him was enough to convince him that Wade was telling the truth because he scowled and shot a menacing look at Wade.

"Today is your lucky day. What you've told me is true." Randy's eyes shifted back to John's and they softened and gazed upon him almost lovingly. It confused and unnerved John; he had never met this man prior to today and yet he was being stared at as though he were a long lost lover.

"I know you don't remember me, Johnny, but you will. You're my destined after all; my mate. You belong to me just as much as I belong to you."

"What are you talking about? I…I don't understand."

"I'll explain later. Ted, take him to my chambers and make sure he's comfortable. I'll be there after I rid us of this filthy heathen. " John cast a worried, fearful look at Wade before Ted grabbed his arms and tried pulling him away.

"What are you going to do with Wade?" Randy smirked as he walked over towards the man.

"I'm going to rough him up a bit before I throw him in the cellar. Trust me John; he's done things that he needs to be punished for."

"Please don't hurt him! He's my friend and if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. Please, I'll do anything. Just…just don't kill him." This seemed to lighten Randy's mood and give him hope because he stood up straighter and turned towards John, his eyes gleaming with emotions that the shorter man was unfamiliar with.

"Do you swear on that John?"

"Of course." He didn't even need to think about it. Wade was his friend and the only person he had left now that Steve wasn't with him. Although he still didn't know the man all that well, he wasn't going to sit by and watch him be bulled.

"Take him to the cellar and make sure he's…comfortable. We'll discuss this deal further in my chambers, John-John." And with that, Ted pulled John away from the group and proceeded to escort him up to the castle.

Once inside, John shivered; it was cold within the castle and, as it was starting to get lighter out, there were few lamps and lights lit. Most of the light came from the various windows that lined the walls and it gave the place a nice, open feeling. They walked along a long hallway before Ted ushered John up a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a landing that led to another hallway and Ted guided John along the hallway and towards the doors that were stationed at the end of the hallway. Opening one of them, John gasped as he walked into a nice sitting room. It was large and comfy and had a nice fire going which made the room nice and warm.

"These chambers belong to Randy. As his destined, they now belong to you as well. Past this room is the bedroom and to the side is the bathroom. You ought to bathe; it looks like you could use it. I'll send Evan up to help you out with clothes and all of that crap. Randy will be up soon." And with that, Ted closed the doors behind him and locked John into the suite.

Sighing, John meandered towards the bedroom. It was a lot like the sitting room: big, cozy, but it had a huge bed surrounded by a canopy and it was all decorated in black. There was a walk-in closet that held a ton of clothing and there were dressers and tables that John was nearly positive were all for show. The washing room was really just a big bathroom with a working shower and bath. Life with Steve had been hard at some points and he mostly bathed in streams or ponds or rivers, but on occasion when they stayed at a town, he had used a shower and bath and he liked it. A lot. So, with a sigh of relief, John removed his clothing and drew a nice, warm bath, needing and wanting to get clean and fresh. Looking down at his left hip, John sighed at the two numbers permanently inked into his flesh: a zero and a one. He never knew what they meant exactly, but he guessed that it dealt with what he was.

Slowly, John lowered himself into the water and moaned loudly. All he wanted was to forget about everything that had happened to him, to pretend that it was a dream. As tempting as that was, John knew that he'd never be able to do that. So, for the time being, he did his best to wipe his mind clean and clear and just relax.


	6. Chapter 5: Lust

A/N: I know I've said it before, but I love writing the chapters to this story. They're just so fun and enjoyable! I hope that you guys are enjoying them as much as I am. R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Five: Lust**

When the water had dropped significantly in temperature, John got out and dried himself off, wrapping a towel around his waist. He had dropped his bag when Miz punched him so he had no clothes with him whatsoever. Ted did mention some guy named Evan coming to help him, but still, he felt embarrassed to be seen like this. Sighing, he opened the door and stepped out into the bedroom. Looking around, he saw nothing or no one and he relaxed a bit before the chamber doors opened. He heard footsteps approaching and a small dark haired man appeared a few seconds later, carrying clothes and smiling brightly when he saw John.

"Hey! You're John right? Everyone's been talking about you; I mean, you're practically famous amongst our kind. It's nice to meet you. I'm Evan. If you need anything, just think my name and I'll come rushing." He talked so fast and so animatedly that John could barely register what he said. Nodding slightly, John took the clothes that Evan had placed on the bed and started putting them on. It was just a pair of boxers and a shirt that was too large for him, but it was better than nothing and he really didn't mind at that point.

"What do you mean by think you name…?"

"It's one of my abilities. Telepathy. I've heard that you're sensitive to emotions. Cody's like that, but only to a certain extent." John sat hesitantly on the bed and stared at Evan and he walked into the bathroom and retrieved John's dirty clothes. As he mulled over everything that Evan had said to him, his brow furrowed and a question popped into his head.

"Evan?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you say that I'm famous?"

"Oh, well that's because-"

"Evan, you're job is done here. Thank you. Now go and get your errands done. If they're not done by your shift, then Kyla will have your head." Randy entered the bedroom and stared lazily at Evan who nodded and, keeping his gaze focused on the ground turned to leave, sending John a brief smile before doing so. Once he was gone, Randy closed the bedroom doors and locked them before he turned towards John, who was gazing up at him with a confused expression on his face.

"As I recall, we've made a deal, correct? If I leave Wade alone, you'll do whatever I want, correct?"

"Will you let him go? I mean, I know that that wasn't part of the original deal, but I'd feel better if I knew he wasn't locked up like an animal." Randy nodded and walked over to him.

"That's fine. Anything you want John, and it'll be done. Wade will be freed and I won't pursue him any further. However in return there's something you must do." John didn't like the look in those pale, icy blue eyes or the tone of his voice, but he owed Wade a lot. He had kept him safe and explained to him what he was since Steve couldn't. What would Steve say if he saw John in this predicament? Hadn't he been taught to keep himself out of trouble? But Wade didn't do anything and he _had_ saved him, so, as far as John was concerned, he owned him.

"What's that?"

"Willingly mate with me." Somehow, on some level, John expected that seeing as how Randy had told him something like that earlier, but it was still a shock. His life with Steve was all he knew and he wasn't around others very often to feel any sort of stirrings for them. And he was completely clueless in matters of intimacy, but something about the way Randy was eying him hungrily made him think that the other knew what he was doing.

"You're mine anyway. It was decided when we were first created. Surely you've noticed the numbers imprinted on your thigh. They match my own perfectly. There can be no other for me; just you." Randy sat down beside him and leaned in so that his lips were pressed against John's ear, giving him tingling sensations when they moved.

"I'm not evil, John-John. Just impatient. I've been searching for you for decades. You really are the only one for me."

"How do you know about the numbers?" John could help but ask, even though Randy was setting his body on fire. These reactions were so automatic and foreign that they alarmed him, even frightened him a little bit.

"I remember, John. I remember when I was first woken up by our creators. You were there as well and when we were let out to roam, we grew close. Too close, it seemed, for they didn't let you out often after our first kiss. But I don't regret it. You're here now, were you belong, and I'm not letting you go."

Randy grabbed John's wrists and forced him on his back. Foolishly, John struggled against the taller one's iron grip, startled at the sudden movements of his companion. With John's hands clasped in one of his own, Randy loomed over him, gazing down at him with lust filled eyes. John didn't need to look into them to tell what he was feeling, but the most prominent feelings were lust and love. There was no doubt about it that Randy loved him. Bringing up a hand, Randy caressed John's face, smiling softly as he did so.

"I've loved you for more than five hundred years, John. And I know that you love me too; you just don't remember. But after today, you will and you'll never forget just how much to mean to me."

And with that, Randy leaned down and pressed his lips to John's in a soft kiss before he pulled back. Before John could say anything, Randy's lips were attacking his once again, but the kiss was more passionate and possessive and it sent shivers down his body. Randy was right: he didn't remember anything, but that didn't matter since his body did and he was definitely responding to Randy's kisses. What alarmed him a little bit was that he found himself wanting more. He wasn't sure where his own feelings ended and Randy's started, but he didn't care as he felt those tanned hands run down his body and dipped underneath his shirt, sliding the material up until it came to his arms. Breaking the kiss, Randy pulled away from him and let his wrists go before he pulled the shirt off of John and tossing it in some random direction before removing his boxers.

John shifted nervously under Randy's intense gaze. No one had ever seen him naked before to his knowledge, and if someone had then it would have been Steve. But he couldn't really think about that currently; he was too busy responding to all of the things that Randy was doing to him. Leaning back down, Randy kissed him, hard and demanding and assertive and…and…and utterly mind blowing. Having never felt anything like this, it was weird, strange, but not unwelcome; in fact, it felt good. Pretty damn good, as a matter of fact. Randy pressed his body against John's and the shorter man arched into the contact, relishing the warmth that radiated from the body on top of his own. With a gentle nudge, Randy's tongue sought entrance to John's mouth and his was granted his wish. Caressing John's face with one of his hands while the other travelled along his torso, Randy mewled as he tasted the warm, moist cavity of John's mouth.

A disappointed sound escaped John's lips when Randy pulled away. Smirking, he bent down and placed hot, open mouthed kisses down John's neck before Randy bit him hard enough to leave a mark. Gasping, John arched off the bed slightly and hummed when Randy licked at the mark, kissing it softly before continuing his decent. Blushing softly, John couldn't help but shudder and squirm as his mate sucked on one of his nipples, raking his tongue over it expertly before he let it go and gave the same attention to the other one. By this point, John was a mess, coming undone slowly, but surely, and he could help but moan aloud as his body was being pleasured. Everything was so nice, so different, but so exhilarating; there was nothing else outside of the bedroom, outside of the bed. It was just the two of them and nothing and no one existed or mattered.

Randy continued making his way down John's body, kissing and licking every inch of skin in his path. He had been waiting for this for a long time and he was so hard that it nearly hurt him, but he didn't care. John was here, in his bed, under his body, and he was finally going to claim what was rightfully his. Pulling himself up, he grinned when he saw that John was just as hard as he was. A thought occurred to him: he could have fun and play a little bit before he actually started, but when he thought about it, he realized that that just wasn't going to happen. Not tonight, not after waiting for so long. His icy blue eyes locked with John's, pleased to see the same want and desire that he felt, and he carefully licked the tip of John's erection. The reaction was instantaneous: a loud moan escaped John's delicious lips as his body lifted of the bed, wanting more contact. It made Randy smug to see his mate in such a state and he continued to lick John's shaft before he engulfed the tip, sucking on it, raking his tongue over the sensitive tip.

At an almost agonizing pace, Randy continued to suck, his tongue working wonders before he began deep throating his mate. The loud moans and the trembles that Randy heard and felt coming from John made him even harder than he already was and he couldn't wait any longer. He pulled away which made John groan in disappointment, but as he crawled up his mate's muscular body, bright blue eyes met his, silently pleading, yet curious as to what was going to happen next. Kissing John's lips softly, Randy smirked and pulled away. Lifting himself away from John, who frowned at the lost contact, Randy opened the draw of a nearby nightstand and extracted a bottle of lubricant from it. His eyes met John's as he opened the bottle and poured some lubricant into his hand before he coated his member with it. Once Randy was satisfied, he leaned back down over John, capturing his lips in a heated, passionate kiss while he pressed his member against John's twitching pucker.

"This'll hurt a little bit, baby. But it'll get better; I promise. Okay?" Randy whispered against John's lips and he smiled when John nodded eagerly and wrapped his arms around Randy's neck, pulling him closer.

Slowly, trying not to cause his mate a lot of unnecessary pain, Randy entered John, moaning loudly at the tightness that enveloped his throbbing cock. He stopped when he was all the way in and rested his forehead against John's, panting slightly at the feeling of John. It was a thousand times better than he imagined, and he had been imagining this moment since he first left the laboratory. Gazing down at John, he saw his lover's face twisted in pain and he kissed him hungrily, trying to wipe away any uncomfortable feelings that John may have. Eagerly, John responded to the kiss, tightening his hold on Randy and pressing his body closer. Never before had he felt anything like this: it was painful but so very pleasurable and that outweighed the pain considerably. When he was relaxed, John nudged Randy, nodding his okay and slowly, the taller man pulled out before he entered him once again. Before too long, their sweet and slow rhythm turned fast and hard, both moaning and growling, wanting more and more of each other.

John dug his nails into Randy's back and he threw his head back, eyes shut tightly as Randy attacked his neck, kissing and biting it as he continued pulling in and out, hitting that sweet spot of his that made him see white lights. It was amazing; beyond amazing: it was perfect. So fucking perfect. Randy was right: they were made for each other, if only for this. He couldn't think of anything else: not Steve, not Wade, not about what he was; all he could think of was Randy. When his mate reached down and grabbed his erection, jerking it as he pounded into his body, John's eyes opened and he hissed, arching into the touch and begging for more.

It felt as though there were butterflies in his stomach. Or some sort of pressure. Whatever it was, it was hot and it was starting to overwhelm him and John knew that Randy was feeling the same way as well. Gripping his lover, John smashed their lips together, tongue and teeth clashing as his eyes closed, shutting out the entire world. A few seconds later, he came all over his stomach and Randy's hand. Not too long after, Randy came deep inside him, shuddering and growling as he did so, his nails raking along the sides of John's body. Panting and unable to think, John laid on the bed, his glazed blue eyes staring down at the man who was resting on his body, his own pale icy blue eyes closed. Slowly, a smiling crept on John's face and he couldn't help but think of how beautiful Randy looked, of how handsome he truly was.

"I love you John-John." Randy's voice was strained and barely audible, but John heard it. He smiled tiredly and watched as Randy slowly got up and crawled up beside him, laying on his side and pulling John close to his body.

"I love you too Randy." Pressing a soft kiss to John's temple, Randy nuzzled his neck and sighed contentedly.

"I knew you'd come around. I'm so glad that you did; I don't know what I'd do if you didn't."

Satisfied and tired, the two fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms and feeling at peace.

A/N: Wow. That was the first sex scene I've written in a long, long time. I hope I didn't disappoint!


	7. Chapter 6: Run

A/N: Before I begin, I just want to say thank you to all of you who have wished me a happy birthday, who have read and reviewed my stories, and for supporting me the way you guys have been. You're awesome. Okay, so here's another chapter of EV as I like to call it. R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Six: Run**

Randy stared down at John's sleeping form, running his hand along his bare back before he stood up and put a pair of pants on. He wasn't going to be going outside of the castle and all he needed was to tell Ted to release Wade so it made little sense for him to wear a proper outfit. Unlocking the bedroom doors, he glanced over his shoulder at John, still sleeping soundly and curled up under the covers. Seeing him like that made a ghost of a smile cross his face for a brief moment before he walked out of the room and closed the doors silently.

It was nighttime, late at night, but the darkness didn't bother him. In fact, he welcomed it; his senses were sharper at night and that was a good thing. Leaving his chambers, Randy made his way down the hallway and proceeded down the stairwell. Walking past the front doors of the castle, he opened a nearby door and stepped through it, shutting it tightly behind him. Before him lay a stairwell that continued down into the cells and chambers that were made to house criminals and offenders. Cracking his neck, he made his way down, slowly, deliberately, making sure that Wade heard him long before he saw him.

Wade…

He didn't understand why John was so taken with the man. After all, Wade wasn't his destined or anything of the sort so there was no reason for John to feel such an attachment for him. And yet he did. Even as Randy watched them being ushered up to them by Mike and his gang, he felt it and it annoyed him. No one, aside from himself, was allowed such close relations with John. But that didn't stop Wade. In all honesty, he had no intention of letting the man go; he was actually lying through his teeth when he promised John that he'd release Wade. However, he knew that John could read the emotions of those around him so that idea wasn't going to fly. Besides, he didn't want to lie to John, to keep secrets. His destined was very open and honest and overwhelmed at this point. So much had happened to him; the last thing he needed was for his lover to deceive him. Which is why he was doing this, even though he didn't want to.

Randy paused on the final step, looking around the long, open hallway that held numerous cells. At the very back was Wade's cell and he smirked when he saw Ted standing guard. Ted was his right hand man and the only person, aside from John, that he truly trusted. He was proud of the fact that the younger took great pride in what he did and did it very well. Someday, when Randy was either exiled or killed, whichever came first, Ted would become the leader of this clan, this tribe; it was only a matter of time. Upon hearing Randy's footsteps, Ted straightened up and looked at this leader and smile crossing his face.

"What're you doing down here, boss?"

"I'm here to keep my promise." Ted gave him a weird look which he ignored. Randy moved so that he stood directly in front of Wade who was sitting on the bench that was chained to the wall. When Randy's shadow fell upon him, Wade glanced up, his face expressionless, but his green eyes flaring. He knew exactly what Randy had been doing with John and that thought made the tanned man smirk.

"You know, I've half a mind to kill you right now."

"So what's stopping you?"

"John." Wade's eyes widened and he looked away. Randy's smirk grew wider; he knew that Wade was becoming attracted to John and the fact that he had no chance in hell of having him made him one smug bastard.

"He agreed to mate with me, but only if I let you go. At the time, I was lying to him, but I've changed my mind. I'm letting you go."

"Randy, wait a second." Ted spoke up, his eyes wide in disbelief and…fear?

"What is it Theodore?" Wincing at the use of his name, Ted continued.

"You can't just let him go. You gave Punk your word that you'd hold him here until-"

"I told Punk that I'd find him. Nothing more; nothing less. Don't go putting words in my mouth, Teddy. Remember what happened the last time?" Casting his eyes down, the younger nodded and Randy turned his attention back to Wade.

"Be grateful that my feelings for John have overcome my hatred of you for now. Ted, release him into the woods. Oh and Wade? If I ever catch you around my territory again, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Randy watched as ted unlocked the cell door before he turned around and made his way back upstairs. Following his footsteps, he returned to his room and closed the doors, locking it. If anyone needed him, they'd send word. Making his way back to his bedroom, Randy smiled at the sight of a barely awake John yawning loudly and gazing up at him with bleary, sleepy eyes.

"You left." Such a simple statement, but it made Randy smile a bit. Ever so slowly, John was becoming attached to him and that made him happier than he's been for decades. Taking off his pants, Randy crawled into bed and captured John's lips in a passionate kiss. Linking his arms around the taller man's neck, John pulled him down on top of him, moaning softly at the contact. Too soon the need for air overcame both of them and, reluctantly, they parted.

"I let Wade go. He's being released right now." John's eyes lit up a bit and he smiled up at his mate.

"Did you really? Oh thank God." Randy started sucking and biting on John's neck, marking his territory for the world to see.

"I told him that if I caught him around here again though, that I'd kill him."

"What if he just wants to see me?"

"Doesn't matter, baby. As the leader of this clan, I've got to abide by my own laws."

John didn't like that, but his mind wasn't too focused on much of anything aside from Randy.

Wade didn't like being dragged by Ted and Mark; he knew perfectly well where he was and he was more than capable of walking. Regardless of his protests though, they marched him away from Castle Lake and into the woods opposite of the Taback Forest. They were still on Randy's territory, but this portion of it wasn't guarded and for that he was thankful. When they had walked a decent ways from the castle, they threw him down onto the ground and Mark stalked away, leaving Ted to stare down at him.

"You heard what Randy said: he'll kill you if he catches you around here again. So be wise and get gone. Besides, Punk's probably on his way as we speak; the sooner you get lost, the better." And with that, Ted left, following after Mark. Wade stared after them for a few moments before he got up and brushed himself off.

His green eyes scanned the area; nothing looked out of place, no enemies were about, and all appeared calm. Breathing a sigh of relief he stared walking towards his destination. Wade knew, as soon as Randy appeared before him, that he'd be released. The price of that, however, was something that he wished John wouldn't have willingly paid. Yes, it was true that Randy and John were created almost back to back which is why they have the same numbers tattooed on their bodies. However…

Wade stopped his train of thought. Tilting his head to the side slightly, he listened to the sounds around him. Something was making movement, walking towards him, causing the local wildlife to cease making noise. Once it got closer, he smiled and shook his head, standing up straighter as he waited. Not even three minutes later, a cougar came into sight, the same one that John had seen, a fact that he knew was certain because he had been trailing Steve and John at the time.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again...Justin." Soft brown eyes connected with Wade's green ones and in a matter of seconds a shorter man was standing where the cougar had been. Stretching his body, Justin yawned tiredly before he shook his head, clearing himself of sleep.

"It took me a while to find Heath. He's on his way; got caught up in something on the way."

"Stalkers again?"

"Yeah. They wouldn't have bothered us had Heath not used his fire power to roast those fish we caught. It all went downhill from there." Wade nodded as Justin approached him, smoothing out his pants and shirt, trying to look presentable.

"So, where's John?"

"With Randy." Gritting his teeth, Wade frowned as he glared at the ground. Justin nodded in understanding and patted the taller man on the shoulder briefly.

"You know, it's not like you're not-"

"Don't. Just….please. Don't mention it." Nodding again, Justin looked up, gazing through the darkness and smiled as he saw Heath running towards them, a smirk on his face.

"Hey! Sorry 'bout that, Justin. I didn't know that they were around and watchin' us."

"Just be more careful next time. I'd rather not get side tracked again, all things considered." Wade looked up at the pair and remember something.

"Did you guys manage to track down Chris and Steve?" They both nodded in response.

"Chris is fine. He's at Maynard right now, looking for…something. He didn't really say what." Wade nodded, smiling slightly. He was genuinely glad that his mentor made it away from the Stalkers okay.

"What about Steve?" At this, Heath frowned and Justin chewed on his lip before he looked up at Wade. Although he saw the answers in those brown eyes plain as day, he needed to hear it out loud and Justin understood that.

"He didn't make it. We caught up to them when the battle was nearly over. Chris was protecting Steve who was covered in wounds and…" Justin's voice trailed off and he looked down, frowning deeply. Heath placed a comforting hand on Justin's back, rubbing it gently. Sighing, Wade looked up at the sky, seeing the few stars that managed to avoid being blocked out by trees. Steve was dead, gone forever, their last living link to a past that they know little about. The only one of their kind that had any real interaction with people like Steve was John and he had amnesia.

John…

He'll need to know about this as soon as possible. Steve was the only person he knew, a friend and father, and it was only right that he should be informed of Steve's passing. However, he was with Randy and Randy gave his word that he'd kill Wade if he entered the castle town again. More than that though, would John even want to leave Randy's side? Now that they were bounded, how would John react if he saw Wade again? Wade wasn't a fool; ever since he had first been awakened by the scientists and let out to interact with others of their kind, like John, he had felt a deep connection with the shorter man. Even after centuries of sleep and separation, he still felt that connection, he still felt him as though he were standing right beside him. But John remembers nothing from the past and from the way he reacted when Wade told him what he was…

Wade knew the reason why Steve was taking John to Maynard. Located deep within the city, protected from prying eyes, was the place where Steve kept all of Crawford's files and documents. These documents would tell John everything he needed to know and might even trigger the memories slumbering deep within him. Chris knew that as well, that that was why Steve was taking John there. Even though he should meet back up with his mentor, Wade knew that his couldn't wait; he needed to take John away from Randy and get him to Maynard.

"Justin, Heath." The pair looked up at him, knowing and understanding evident in their eyes. Knowing that his two closest friends were there for him gave Wade the strength to propose his insane idea.

"We need to break John out of Castle Lake."

John was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressing himself in the pair of jeans and t-shirt that Evan had brought him. The raven haired boy was tidying up the chambers and had even brought him something to eat. Randy was on the first floor; he had mentioned something about needing to consult his Seer, Cody. He had left over an hour ago. Stretching, John yawned and shook his head, feeling utterly amazed and puzzled by his behavior. While Randy was incredibly attractive, John still didn't feel as though he was in love with him. And nothing that Randy said to him made much sense; how was John supposed to believe that they had been together before he woke up. How could he know for sure? Just because they had numbers inked into their skin didn't mean that they were destined for each other, like Randy kept saying.

A loud, rumble caught his attention and John stood up and wandered over to the window just in time to see one of the castle town's houses being lit ablaze and exploding. Seeing such a thing occur startled him and John left the bedroom, seeking out Evan. The younger man was gazing awestruck out of the window, watching as the various homes and shops were set on fire. John sat down and put on his boots before he grabbed his jacket. Joining Evan by the window, he squinted, trying to see a little bit better. Numerous guards – if that's what they actually were – were surrounding one individual, a pale, ginger haired man who had flames shooting out of his hands.

"Evan…who the hell is that?"

"I dunno, but he's-" Loud screams and shouts were heard downstairs and both John and Evan turned towards the chamber doors as they were pounded on. Whatever was trying to get in was doing a decent job because the doors were slowly bending and crippling. In no time, they were knocked down and stalking into the sitting room was a cougar, the same one that John had seen before. Beside him, Evan gasped and quickly hid behind John, but John merely stared at the cat as it made its way over to him. Releasing a soft laugh, John stared down at the big cat as it nudge his hand with its nose, as if it were trying to tell him something.

"What are you doing here?"

"John are you nuts? Why in the hell are you talking to that…that thing?"

"It's not a thing, Evan. It's a cougar. And he won't hurt us, will you buddy?" Soft brown eyes connected with John's blue ones and the answer was clear as day to him. Turning around, the cougar began walking back from whence it came. When no one started following him, it turned its head around and growled. John, still holding onto his jacket, followed it with Evan hot on his trail, afraid and worried.

Following the cougar, John and Evan quickly made their way down the hall and down the stairs. Once they reached the first floor, John looked around and saw that the place was in disarray. No one was around, but shouts and screams could still be heard from within the castle. One thought popped into John's mind as he looked around: Where was Randy? Feeling his hand being nudged again, John looked down and saw the cougar walking through a doorway and proceeding down a flight of stairs.

"John, you're not seriously thinking about following that cat are you? I mean, what if it just wants to eat you or something?"

"He's had plenty of chances to do that Evan, but he hasn't. Just trust me with this alright?" Whimpering and shaking slightly, Evan nodded and followed the taller man, unsure of what to do, yet not wanting to be alone.

The three of them made their way down the flight of stairs and entered the area that houses cells and chambers. At the end of the area, where a cell must have once been, was a gaping hole that lead out of the castle and into an open plain area. Further ahead of it were trees and shrubs. With a roar of excitement, the cougar ran out of the chamber and into the plain, stopping and looking back at the pair. Before he left, John put his jacket on and turned to Evan.

"Evan, you don't need to come with me. You should be safe here. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not leaving you, John. Randy would kill me if I did. You're my charge and I need to take care of you."

"You're in no position to be taking care of anyone, Shorty." Evan frowned at the name.

"I'm not that short!" John couldn't help but laugh and he ruffled Evan's hair.

"I don't know what's going on Evan, but I'm leaving. There's something I need to do before I can stay here with Randy. Somewhere I need to go and if I leave now, I might find all of the answers to my questions."

"Is this about Steve and Wade?" Evan's question stunned him and John stared down at the younger man questioningly. With a small smile, Evan pointed to his temple.

"Telepathy, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that."

"Most people do. And John, I said I'm coming so that means that I'm coming. End of story." Nodding, John grabbed Evan's hand and together, they bolted out of the hole and into the open where the cougar was.

The big cat was pacing and growling as it gazed at the sight before it. John walked over towards the end of the castle and stared as the guards tried to capture the ginger haired man who was perched on top of a roof not that far from the castle. Almost as though he could sense them, the strange man's head snapped up and he grinned at the three of them. Giving them a thumbs up, he stood up and yelled down at the guards before jets of water shot out of his hands, knocking them to the ground and soaking them.

"I knew you'd be here. That's why I brought Teddy with me, away from the fighting. Randy's too preoccupied with the intruder to notice that you're no longer locked away, John." Whipping his head, John saw a young man with dark brown hair standing beside Ted, who was frowning. A strong surge of dislike and loathing came over him and quickly left and John knew that it was the younger man's doing. Slowly, a smirk appeared across the stranger's face and he walked towards the three of them cautiously.

"Randy's obsession with you isn't healthy. Especially since you don't even know what you are yet, John."

"Cody, shut up. You know what Randy said-"

"I don't give a damn what Randy said! It's not fair! Why should someone who doesn't even remember anything receive Randy's affections! Why not me?"

Cody's glare turned from Ted to John, but before he could say or do anything else, Wade leapt from out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground, knocking him out. At the same time, the cougar jumped on Ted and bit into his arm hard enough to break the bone, causing him to cry out in pain. When the cougar let go, it ran off into the woods. Before he even realized what was going on, John was grabbed by Wade and they ran off after the animal, Evan trailing not far behind.

Upon seeing his friend once again, John smiled, happy and surprised to see him so soon. They continued following after the cougar until the trees around them began to thin and, before too long, they ran out into a wide, grassy area. The cougar stopped running and turned to face them, staring up at them patiently. Wade slowed down and let go of John, who frowned a bit at the loss of contact. Evan stumbled into the area, gasping for breath and looking tired as hell.

"You must not get out much, kid." Wade's comment made Evan looked up at him with a glare.

"My abilities are more mental than physical. I'm of no use in physical combat."

"Wade, what are you doing? I thought that…"

"Steve gave you to me. It's my duty to get you to Maynard. Where we are now it known as Phoenix Point. Randy wouldn't dare enter this territory."

"He's right John. It's claimed by Kane and he had bad blood with Randy. Most of kind do though, so it's not surprising." John jumped at the new voice and turned to where the cougar once sat. Now though, there was a young man with soft brown eyes and dark hair who was staring at him, smiling.

"I'm Justin by the way. I've been trailing after you and Steve since you started your journey. It's how Chris and Wade found you guys."

"So you're one of us?"

"Yes, I am. As you can probably tell, my main ability is morphing."

John nodded and leaned against a tree. All of a sudden, he was feeling worn out, exhausted, dizzy, and rage. Intense, frightening rage and, before he realized it, he was out cold.


	8. Chapter 7: Passing

AN: I apologize for taking so long to post this but my inspiration left me for a brief spell. Luckily, it came back…right before I had to start working and I was so upset. But I wrote down notes, so all is not lost! A big THANK YOU to all of you guys who are keeping up with this story and giving me your feedback. Seriously, you guys are like the cream in my coffee, or you would be if I drank coffee. By the way, the Mark from the last chapter was Mark Henry; just thought I'd clear that up. Anyway, here's the next chapter; hope y'all like it. R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Seven: Passing**

Nothingness. That's what he was surrounded by; that's what he heard, what he saw, what he thought. Somewhere, beneath his flesh, was a beating heart, one he could hear but he could feel. His heart beat was the only thing he felt aside from wetness and coolness. Slowly, oh so slowly, he opened his eyes, only barely though before he shut them.

Brightness. That's what awaited him outside of his darkness. It was foreign, strange, and he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to open his eyes and forget his darkness. But something stirred in him and called out to him from somewhere deep inside of him, a voice that he knew could only be heard by himself. The voice was telling him to open his eyes, that everything would be okay and that there was nothing to fear. Once again, he opened his eyes, longer this time and more than the previous attempt. And once again, his eyes were hit by brightness and he closed them, nodding his head down before opening them more.

Everything around him looked tinted in blue, but he could determine colors, although he didn't know how he knew what colors even were. Two people stood outside of his capsule, a man with dark brown hair in his late thirties or early forties and a younger man, who was taking notes and nodding. Both worn white coats and were talking in low, hushed voices, or maybe they were talking loudly; he really couldn't hear all that well so he wasn't too sure. When the younger one looked up at him, he smiled brightly and spoke to the older one and they both approached him, smiling and writing things down. What were they writing down? He was curious and he wanted to know.

Looking around the room through his capsule, he saw that he was in a lab – how'd he know that it was called a lab? – and that there were other capsules aside from his own. But only one contained a fully grown being like himself; a man with tanned skin and short black hair. He wasn't sure if he was awake or not so he kept staring and was surprised to see that the other being looked up and over at him. Pale icy blue eyes connected with his own and before he knew it his world went black.

He's standing still inside of a capsule full of water or something like it. Slowly, he opens his eyes. Nothing. Complete darkness. Dipping his head back down into its previous position, he closes his eyes once more and he waits. Glass breaks. Water pours out from around him. John slumps onto the floor, half in and half out of the capsule. His face is pressed against the cold floor and he's gasping for breath. From somewhere above him, a light shines down and his eyes squint, practically closing, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. The light is turned away from his face and someone is staring down at him, hidden within darkness and shadow. A voice is calling out to him, asking him something, but it sounds so far away.

That voice…He knows that voice; he remembers that voice. Looking up, John can barely make out the facial features of the person above him. And then they come closer and he sees, finally, who it is.

It is Steve. And his words are slowly starting to come into focus and he's able to understand them.

"Finally. I've been searching for you for a long, long time…John."

Frowning, John opens his eyes and is met with brightness, only this time it's the sun's brightness. He's outside, lying on his back and, when he turns his head to the right, he sees a house not too far away. Turning his head left, he sees Wade and Justin in deep conversation with a tall, bald man. Their voices are so low that even he can't hear them and he turns his head back and stares up at the sky. From somewhere behind him, a door opens and footsteps approach him.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake! I've been worried sick! Gosh, you sure like to scare the piss out of someone, don't you? Here I thought that you were sick or something, but my healing abilities didn't work at all so it wasn't that… Can you sit up, John?" Evan came into view and John smiled slightly at the worried expression the younger one had on his face. Grunting, John lifted himself off of the ground just in time for Wade, Justin, and the strange bald man were fast approaching.

"Until you've gotten used to your ability, you'll black out like that. It's a heavy burden and price to pay, but it comes in handy in battle and in personal ties." Wade crouched down and smiled in a comforting way at him. John smiled back before looking up as the stranger continued speaking.

"It's nice to finally meet the one who bares the truth. Embedded Truth. We've been waiting for you for a long time now. And you showed up at the right time, all things considered."

"Kane. Please. Now is not the time. You know that he hasn't seen what Steve left for him." Justin's voice spoke up and it sounded tired. John looked up at him and saw the bags under his eyes.

"A dead man's secrets die with him."

"I told you not to say such things!" Wade hissed at the man before he stood up and glared at him.

"Now's not the time to tell John that Steve is-"

"And when would be the right time, Wade? He has a right to know. Besides, if he's not informed, it'll only make things more difficult and burdensome later on."

"What about Steve?" Everyone stopped arguing when John asked his question, gazing up at the three tiredly. Those dreams he kept having were getting more and more elaborate and, even though he slept like a log when he had them, they tired him out all too quickly for his liking. And it didn't help that Wade and Kane were arguing about Steve. Why were they? What the hell was going on? Before Wade could reply, Kane beat him to the punch and put it as bluntly as he could.

"Steve's dead, John. Murdered by the Stalkers that were chasing you. His body's still somewhere in Taback Forest. I'm sure Mike will allow you to claim it once everything's done and over with."

Everything around him stilled and he stared up at Kane with narrowed, confused, disbelieving eyes. Had he heard him right? Was Steve….Was he really? Was Steve…..dead? No, he couldn't be. After all they had been through….after all the places they've been to… Steve was too smart to get himself killed by those…those Stalkers. Too strong and stubborn to be cut down by some mediocre assassins hell bent on eliminating their kind. There was no possible way that he was dead, none whatsoever. John let out a shaky laugh as he stared up at Kane.

"You're joking, right? He's hiding around somewhere, right?" But he saw, upon looking into Kane's eyes, that he wasn't joking. Ever so agonizingly slowly, the reality of Kane's words set in and John looked down, unable to speak or respond in any way.

From beside him, he felt Evan scoot closer, placing comforting hands on his back. Wade rubbing his forearm soothingly while Justin bit his lip and gave John a look of sympathy. But he didn't respond to any of it, he barely even acknowledged it, although he did grunt when Wade pulled him into a tight hug. All that he really cared about was that Steve was no longer with him. No longer would he see his face, grinning, frowning, or otherwise; no longer would he laugh with his best friend or talk to him; no longer would they walk together, train together, or do anything together. They were now separated forever. The one and only person he knew, really knew, since before he could remember.

A sharp, searing pain stabbed him in his heart and he pulled his body away from Wade's so fast that it started his friend. Bending over, he gasped, drawing in deep breaths though he couldn't hear them. John could hear anything and even if he could he wouldn't care. He didn't care if he looked like a fool or if the others thought little of him because of how he was acting. How the hell could they ever understand how he felt? Had they ever lost someone? Had they ever lived his life? Maybe, maybe not, but even if they had, they didn't lose Steve. Steve was special, his best friend and his father, the one person in the world John trusted above all others.

And now he was gone.

Randy leaned against the tree, hissing as he felt a sharp pain jab him in the chest. It came from John, his John, and he needed to find him, to bring him back, and to kill that son of a bitch Wade for taking him away. He should have known when all of those fires started; after all, he had had run-ins with Chris and his small clan before, so he was familiar with their abilities and Heath's were exceptional, even for one of their own. After he had been informed of the outbursts, he stormed out of the castle, sending Evan to guard John, and captured the pyromaniac. When he went to place him in a cell, he discovered that there was a hole in the wall. Upon venturing back outside, he was told that John and Evan had left and were nowhere to be found.

Rage consumed him and he wanted nothing more than to rake his nails across Wade's throat, cutting his as deeply as he could though not enough to kill him. Oh no, when he finds that man, he'll make him suffer for taking his mate, his John. And then he'd give him to Punk and let him take care of the rest. Not long after that, he left with Ted and Cody in tow and made his way to the edge of Kane's territory and that's where he was currently. Stalking around the outskirts, eyes scanning the houses and people looking for John. Odds were that he was somewhere deeper in the town where he couldn't see him.

It made him angry, knowing that John was so close yet so far and needing him. Were Randy there, he'd be comforting him and beating the shit out of whoever or whatever upset him so much. From behind him, Ted scanned the area for any indication that danger was coming their way. Randy wasn't a fool; he knew that Kane knew that they were there, watching, waiting. But Evan was back, returned to his proper place, so the bad blood between them should be a bit more thinned out. However, he wasn't going to take any chances; he knew all too well that if he stepped over the boundaries that Kane would be all over him and although he had two others with him, Kane could still beat them all easily. A few feet away from him, Cody let out a sigh and started up his bullshit again.

"Why don't you just let him go, Randy? You already know what's going to happen so why put yourself through all of that? Besides, you have someone better and more willing to mate with you than _he_ is." Randy suppressed a sigh, instead closing his eyes tightly and shaking his head before he opened them.

"Cody, I am only going to say this once so do yourself a favor and pay attention. I love John. I have ever since I laid eyes on him. He is mine; we were destined to be together. And I'm willing to share him if I have to. But so help me, if you don't stop bitching about him, I will put you in your grave myself. Your visions and prophecies have helped me greatly, but your opinions are annoying as fuck so back off!"

Cody flinched at the growl in his voice, but Randy didn't care. Ever since he established his clan at Castle Lake, Cody had been giving him help, telling him about his visions and prophecies. However, the ones involving John didn't concern him. Regardless of whether Wade took John or not, he was still bonded with Randy on numerous levels and that bond was unbreakable. Glancing up at the sky, he saw that it was becoming dark; they'd have to find shelter or something of the like soon so that they could rest. John was in good hands for now, and that's all that really mattered to him.

"You think it wise to leave so soon? After all, he still doesn't look like he's in decent shape." Wade sighed at Kane's comment. While it was true, he had already heard this and he knew that, although it would probably be best if John got some decent rest, they needed to be on their way.

"We've no choice. The sooner we arrive at Maynard, the better. You know that as well as I."

"He's not himself. His other abilities may not come into affect with his emotional baggage still in place."

"I'll take care of him." Kane nodded and stared behind the younger man at where John and Justin were standing. Justin was foolishly trying to get John to laugh, but the taller one merely smiled and shook his head at the joke. Well, it was progress, but Kane knew that deep down, he was a wreck. One that Wade could probably fix, but the question was: will he?

"Fine. Let me know what you find… And thank you. I greatly appreciate what you've done for me." Wade nodded as he started walking away.

"No problem. Take care." And with that, the younger one jogged over to his traveling companions and the three began their way to Maynard. Behind him, the door to his house opened and Evan walked out, moving to that he stood beside him. Wrapping an arm around the small brunette, Kane pulled him closer as they watched their comrades begin their journey.

"Will John be okay? I mean, he's still so upset. He cried himself to sleep last night…. It was so heart breaking."

"He'll be fine. As soon as he discovers what he is, he'll have concerns. Worries. Responsibilities. After all, he's the one that's supposed to lead us and he'll need to grow up a bit before he'll be able to do that."

Evan nodded and smiled up at Kane who leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to his mate's forehead. A smirk spread across his face as he realized that Randy's scent was gone; he had gone chasing after his mate which was a wise decision. After all, Kane still owed him a favor for taking his Evan away. However, that could wait until after everything was said and done. For now, the focus needed to be on the issue at hand.

Finally, work had ended and she was free to leave and go home. Grabbing her coat and bag, she left the hotel and started down the street. Turning left, she began to walk down a dark, deserted alleyway, the one that took her to the street she needed to be on. After a few seconds of fast walking, she slowed her pace, listening carefully to the noises around her. She stopped. Waited. And then started walking slowly again.

Sure enough, there was another pair of footsteps following behind her. Groaning inwardly, thinking it was another one of those gang bangers or her crazy ass ex, she turned around. However, it wasn't a gang banger or her crazy ass ex. It was a strange man who towered over her. He startled her so badly that she screamed. However, her scream was cut short as the man drew up his hand and brought it down upon her throat. Then all she could feel was immense pain as he began ripping her apart.


	9. Chapter 8: Discovery

A/N: I know that you all want to know who the girl was from the last chapter. Well, here's the answer: she's no one of importance. She's merely a character that had one purpose and one purpose only: to die. Why she had to die will be revealed later on. I wanted to address this in an author's note because I'd rather not message everyone explaining this. Sorry if that offends you, but I thought it was more practical. Anyway, here's another chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Eight: Discovery**

John kept on walking, following behind Wade and Justin, who had not returned to his cougar form. He hadn't really said anything after his brief conversation with Justin before they left Phoenix Point, but he wasn't complaining. Although he wished that he could say that he had a lot of thoughts swirling around in his head, the truth was that his mind was blank. Ever since he had heard the news about Steve, he couldn't concentrate on anything or think about anything. And how could he? This was the first time he had ever experienced something like this, so he had no idea how to handle it or anything of the sort. All he knew for sure was that his heart would beat with pain whenever he thought about it, almost as though an invisible knife was stabbing him repeatedly. It didn't help that he got very little sleep the night before, but he couldn't stop himself from crying. Even when he was asleep, he cried and now he had no tears left. None whatsoever for the man that was his rock, who taught him everything he knew and who had plans to teach him more.

That was all destroyed with the flick of a blade. Everything that once was and could be was gone. How could he get over something like that?

He didn't know the answer and even if he did, would he want to utilize it? Probably not. As much as John hated facing the reality of Steve's passing, he'd rather cherish the memories of him instead of forgetting or something like that. He would never forget Steve. Never.

Wade's voice brought him back to reality and he looked up at the man, mildly interested in what he was saying.

"Justin, not that I'm complaining, but why haven't you changed back into your cougar form?"

"Wade, you must have realized by now that we are about to leave the forest behind and step foot onto the streets of Maynard. Humans roam around these woods and they would get frightened if they saw a cougar. It would be unwise to draw such attention to ourselves."

"This is true…:

"How long until we get there?" John's voice sounded strange and foreign, even to himself. The two ahead of him paused in their tracks and turned to face him, surprise written plain as day on their faces. However, it didn't last long: Justin smiled at him warmly, telling him silently that everything would be okay; Wade smiled as well, though John felt his heart beat quicken more when he saw it. Seeing the obvious concern on their faces made him feel a bit better. It was strange, but not unwelcome and he was glad that he was traveling with them.

"Not even half an hour John. Although where we'll exit is on the opposite side of where we need to go, we'll still have accomplished our goal: getting you there. Things will fall into place after that." Justin's voice was warm and reassuring, but John would've liked it better if it were Wade telling him these things. He didn't have anything against the shorter man, but he knew Wade longer and was more comfortable with him. At least, that was the explanation he gave himself.

"Chris may still be in Maynard somewhere. It's possible that he found what Steve wanted to show you." John nodded at Wade and they started walking again, knowing that in less than no time they'd be in the city of Maynard.

Around them, John noticed that the trees were starting to thin out and spread around them. A head of them, he could see what looked like a side walk as well as a small, shed-like building. Then, all of a sudden, they had escaped the forest and had stepped out into the open. There was indeed a sidewalk lying invitingly before them a few feet away. When he turned his head to the right he gasped. What Steve had told him compared little to what his eyes actually saw.

Maynard was far more magnificent and alluring than what Steve had described to him. The sun shone brightly down up the silvery buildings that loomed above other smaller silvery buildings. Although there were signs, advertisements, and other such things, the colors that made them up weren't obnoxiously bright; they were all the right degree of shade and it made everything look right. John felt a hand clasp his shoulder and a thumb rubbing it gently, startling out of his inner ramblings. Looking up, he saw Wade flash him a brief smirk before the taller man strode forward, John and Justin following after him.

"Do you know where we're going?" John couldn't help asking. Slowly, the awe of Maynard was leaving him, being replaced by the focus of the mission at hand.

"Chris told us that that Steve gave him a vague description of it once." Nodding, John continued to follow Wade as they began to walk down the sidewalk path. From behind him, Justin's voice explained further.

"He told us that Steve's place or what have you wasn't a house or anything like that. More like a warehouse in the bad downtown sector."

"Oh…" Hearing the doubt in his voice, Wade spoke up.

"Steve knew what he was doing. He had been awake and alive long before you, so he was probably already established before he decided to bring you here."

"I suppose. He was always very scrupulous." Without further adieu, the three of them continued walking, soon entering the city in its entirety.

Once they were within the city, John couldn't help but look every which way, gazing at the buildings and stores in silent awe. Sure, he had stayed at a human town before, but it wasn't as extravagant or huge as Maynard was. Looking around at anything and everything his eyes fell upon, John's mind started to wander. How long had Steve lived here before he found John? Did he like it here? Why this place, of all places, to hide out? With the large population of people living here, wasn't it kind of stupid to set up a secret base here? Or was that the idea? To hide within all of the chaos that came with living in such a place.

As they walked on, John looked at all of the people crowding the sidewalk and buildings and stores and he noticed that there wasn't much of a difference between them and himself. Physically, at least. For all he knew, they could've been one of his own kind and he'd never know. Of course, there was so much he didn't know and that aggravated him a little bit. Maybe that was why Steve was so adamant about coming here.

"I wonder if Chris is still here." John's voice broke the silence as they turned down an alleyway.

"No, he left before we arrived." John looked at Justin dumbfounded. Justin's soft brown eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on him.

"That's right, you don't know about his ability. Sorry 'bout that." They exited the alleyway and stopped, scanning the area. Before them laid the entrance of the downtown sector of the city. John noticed that it seemed less occupied and traveled, as though it were a memory one just wanted to forget.

"What's Chris' ability?" Wade answered as he looked about for something.

"Well, one of them is very similar to Evan's, only instead of him merely reading your thoughts, he can project his own into your mind as well as images. Chris is like Randy; he was created early on and, as such, he's one of the strongest."

"Though he can be a prick at times, he knows what he's doing and he won't leave you hanging. He was able to bring Wade, Heath, and I together to form a nomadic clan. And ours is the largest." John was a little confused by what Justin said.

"But there's only four in your clan."

"True, but for the most part, nomads of our kind travel either solo or with one other. The one that Randy released to Mix, Alex, is a nomad. Miz fell for him and hard when they first met and he tried to force Alex to stay in his clan. Obviously, that backfired. We need to walk straight for a few minutes and then turn left." Wade's explanation made sense to him, and he nodded to himself.

Once again, they started walking, making their way into the heart of the downtown sector. Glancing all around him, John saw people hanging around the steps of buildings, loitering in the alleyway, and bunched together in small, tight-knit groups, doing something. Although he didn't know exactly what they were doing, he knew that he'd rather not get involved. Wade led the way while Justin and John followed close behind, not wanting to get separated. Before long, they turned left and continued down a wider, more open street.

"Did Chris use his ability? Is that how you know we're going in the right direction?" Wade smiled slightly at John's question and he nodded.

"That's right, John."

"Can he do that with me?"

"He can do that with every single one of our kind, but he only will in the case of an emergency. Other than that, Chris said he'd rather keep it between those he trusts the most." Noting the let down look on John's face, Justin clasped his hand on John's shoulder, patting it a few times before he let it fall, a bright smile on his face.

"Don't feel bad, John. Chris isn't making the connection with you because he doesn't know you all that well. Once he does, he'll do it. No worries."

John merely nodded and flashed the shorter man a brief smile before he focused his gaze dead ahead. The street they were walking along was long and it seemed to go on forever. Luckily, Wade turned right down a long dark alley that separated two tall brick buildings. Following after him was John and then Justin. Together, all three of them continued walking until Wade smirked to himself and started picking up his pace. The end of the alley ended and before them was a large, seemingly abandoned warehouse, one that few people would notice, with windows boarded up from the inside, showing the broken glass on the outside.

"Here we are. Today, John, you finally learn all that Steve wanted to teach you."

Excitement boiled up inside of him as they quickly approached the building. His hands started shaking and he breathed in sharply, feeling as though he had finally made it to where he needed to be. All of the answers to his questions were located somewhere within the building and all they needed to do was find them. Wade stopped at the door and chuckled, pulling a taped note off of the door and shaking his head.

"Chris has left us a note. 'Up the stairs and to the left, after the main office'. Well, at least that's what I think it reads. His hand writing truly is atrocious." Crumpling the note up in his hand, Wade grabbed the door handle and opened it, stepping inside.

John entered after him and he gasped out loud. Littered on the floor were boards, boxes, and papers. Along with mounds of clothing, mattresses, and other things that suggested that the homeless would occasionally take residency up in the warehouse during periods of cold. Dried stains that looked a lot like blood and other bodily fluids littered the floor in certain places and, even though it was dark, he could still see well enough to not step on them, just in case. On the right side of the warehouse were knocked over red-orange shelves, tall enough to tower over them if they were standing straight. Further back, on the left hand side, was a flight of stairs that led to a second floor. Carefully, Wade, John, and Justin made their way towards the flight of stairs.

Before he started climbing them, Wade carefully placed his foot on the first step, testing it to make sure it wouldn't break or anything of the sort. Satisfied that it held up, he stepped up on it and bounced, seeing if his weight was too much. Still, it held and he smirked before he looked over his shoulder, his green eyes meeting Justin's brown ones before they turned to John. A shiver ran down his spine as he stared into those bright blue eyes and he had to force himself to look elsewhere. Cautiously, he proceeded up the stairwell with John and Justin following close behind him. The landing before them was the office missing it's door. Stepping inside of it, John saw that the windows that looked down into the warehouse and outside of the building were all boarded up.

Shrugging it off, he continued to follow Wade out of the backdoor of the office and down short hallway that curved right. Carefully, trying not to trip or fall or something, they walked the few feet down the hall and turned right, entering a hallway that was a little longer, but held a door at the end of it. Anticipation coursed through his veins and all John wanted to do was dash down the hall and wrench open the door, but he couldn't. Aside from the fact that Wade was blocking, his legs were shaking; hell, he was surprised by the fact that he was still standing. So close was he to finding out everything… And it wasn't just him; he could feel the excitement and anxiousness radiating from Wade and Justin as well and he was thankful that they too had as much interest in this as he had. Finally, they reached the door and Wade placed his hand on the knob, getting ready to open it.

"Now's the moment of truth, gents. Within this room before us lies what we've been searching for. Let us proceed." And with that, Wade opened the door and stepped inside, John following behind him, practically shaking.

What they had walked into was the living room of an apartment. It wasn't like the warehouse; it was neat, tidy, and, aside from the large quantity of dust, clean. There was a couch that faced them with a coffee table in front of it. Stands and cases held books and a lamp. The rug was a deep blue color and John could just envision Steve lounging about in this place; it practically screamed his name. John walked into the next room which was a kitchen. In the center of it was a table with four chairs and sitting on the table were boxes. Covered in dust, they hadn't been moved in years and, when John got close enough, he saw his name written on them.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, John sat down in a chair and pulled the first box towards him, blowing on it to alleviate some of the dust that covered it. Wade joined him and sat in the chair beside him. Not too long after Justin came in, but he didn't sit down; instead, he loomed over beside John and stared down at the boxes. With trembling hands, John removed the lid to the box he had grabbed and peered inside.

Inside the box were files and manila folders, along with notebooks and papers. Sitting on top of everything was an old, frayed, black and white photograph of three people wearing lab coats: a woman in her late thirties, a man in his forties, and a younger man, who looked to be in his twenties. Turning the photograph over, John read three names that had been inscribed on the back: Dr. Carol Cena; Dr. Emille Crawford; and Dr. Steve Austin.

Steve… So that's what he looked like when he was younger. It amazed him, how young and happy he looked in this photograph; he never looked like this when John had known him. But then again, things change, people and feelings too. Placing the photograph down on the table, John picked up the first manila folder, the one that had the words _The Prototype_ written on the tab that stuck out. Intrigued, John opened the folder and gasped. He had expected a lot of things when he entered this apartment, but he never expected to see a picture of himself in a file, especially one that was marked as _The Prototype._ His blues eyes squinted as he read the file on him.

_Name: The Prototype – John_

_ DOB (Date of Birth): April 19__th_

_ DOF (Date of Finalization): June 7__th_

_ Ability(s): Enhanced senses of smell, sight, hearing, taste, and touch; emotional reciprocation; memory revitalization._

_ After Notes: Nickname: Amnesia – "Embedded Truth"_

Amnesia? Embedded Truth? John remembers that Kane called him that, but what did it mean? Placing the folder onto the table, he reached in and grabbed a notebook, the one that had _The Prototype – Notes_ written on the cover of it. Opening it up, John's eyes scanned over the various entries and dates and read them.

_Date – April 17__th__: Doctor Noba's experimental humanoid being – The Animal – is a failure. The Animal is far too violent to allow us to test its functions and abilities. We have put him in a coma despite Doctor Noba's protests. The first official being, The Prototype, will be created on Thursday, April 19__th__, should everything go as planned._

_ Date – April 19__th__: The Prototype has been created. Everything fell into place and it has begun to gestate. Finalization should be some time in June._

_ Date – April 29__th__: The Prototype begins to grow at an accelerated rate, just as planned. Functions appear to be normal._

_ Date – May 11__th__: The Prototype continues to grow and should reach its heightened state of growth at the beginning of June. _

_ Date – May 23__rd__: Carol named The Prototype 'John' in honor of her late son, John. I would have protested but my feelings for her set aside any sort of detachment I felt for The Prototype. _

_ Date – June 7__th__: The Prototype is complete. It – or he, as Carol refers to him – has reached his full growth. It shall be awakened tomorrow to test his reflexes before we begin educating him via computer mechanisms. _

_ Date – June 8__th__: Everything concerning The Prototype is fine. We allowed it to wander around the lab for a few minutes. Carol can't relinquish her joy at how curious it seemed when it approached The Viper and The Jackal. The suggestion to brand all of the beings with serial numbers came from Steve, my assistant and good friend. The Prototype, The Viper, and The Jackal, should everything turn out fine with the other two, will be branded with the numbers zero and one as they are the first successful humanoid beings out of the expected ten thousand._

_ Date – June 13__th__: The Prototype, John, is learning and understand far quicker than anticipated. Perhaps it is time to remove him from the computer scanning system as it now seems redundant. _

_ Date – June 27__th__: The Prototype and The Viper interacted for the first time today (see The Viper – Notes for more detail). The interaction was most curious. John, The Prototype, appears to have a more docile nature than Randy, The Viper, who appears possessive and protective of John. Tomorrow, Carol will release The Jackal – Wade – from its cell. _

_ Date – July 19__th__: Doctor Noba has exacted his revenge. Instead of destroying The Animal, he injected within it a virus that has the potential to eliminate all of the humanoid beings that the U.N. wishes for us to create. Immediate action must be taken…but what?_

_ Date – October 31__st__: I have decided what to do about Doctor Noba's betrayal. More to follow after the other beings have been created and programmed._

_ Date – May 21, 1986: All humanoid beings have been created, completed, and updated. I have, at last, decided what to do about The Virus raging within The Animal. After finally obtaining the codes that Noba used to create it, I have formulated The Cure, potent enough to completely destroy The Animal. However, The Cure comes in three parts, all of which need a blood source in order to gestate and grow strong enough to kill The Virus. More to follow._

_ Date – June 1__st__: I have decided where to place The Cure. The three first beings, The Prototype, The Viper, and The Jackal, will be the bearers of The Cure. The Prototype will have the strongest part which shall be known at Amnesia. The Viper will contain the second part of The Cure known as Memory, And The Jackal will hold the key, the final part to The Cure: Change. This will be my last scientific entry in this notebook._

John stared dumbfounded at the page before he flipped back and reread everything. After he had done so, he flipped through the notebook, searching, trying to find anything else that would tell him something more. He had almost given up hope when, near the back of the notebook, he spotted a small note hand written by Crawford.

_ John, I have put you and all of the others to sleep for five hundred years. I don't know what will happen to you after this, but my wish is that you find Randy and Wade and stay together for the three of you will be the downfall of The Animal. I have no idea of what you will be like after sleeping for so long, but I know that you will be the leader that you were designed to be. My assistant – who you may or may not remember – will also be there to help you. Destroy The Animal. Destroy The Virus and all will be well._

_ Crawford_

John stared at the note, unable to grasp everything he had just learned. He was sweating, a lot, and he felt hot and dizzy. Was he going to pass out or something? It didn't feel as though he was; in fact, he felt the same as he had on the day that he received his first real ability. His body's temperature started to rise and, before he knew it, he felt as though he were on fire. Slumping forward, everything around him faded away; he was oblivious to whatever Wade and Justin were doing. No sounds could be heard, not even his own gasps and pants; it was just like that day…

And then, it was gone; all of the heat and intensity were gone. But John knew that soon it'd return tenfold and almost as soon as he thought that, everything, the bone chilling freeze, even the world around him, stopped. Seconds passed and then his body erupted in that same scorching fire as it had not too long ago. He shot up and then tilted back in his chair, nearly falling out of it. Or maybe he did fall out of it; he really couldn't tell. All he was focused on what the immense pain.

Slowly, ever so painstakingly slowly, it started to ebb away and relief washed over him. Blinking his eyes rapidly, John tried to bring his vision back into focus and when he was finally able to he gasped. What he saw wasn't the kitchen he had been in nor what it Wade or Justin. What he saw was the lab that he had been kept in when he saw first created, though it was tinted due to the capsule he was in. Confusion, worry, and fear started spreading throughout his body.

What the hell was going on?


	10. Chapter 9: Memories

A/N: I hope that the last chapter enlightened you somewhat. Here's another chapter and this one should shed more light on everything. R&R. Enjoy.

**Chapter Nine: Memories**

John honestly didn't know what the hell was going on. Was he suddenly remembering everything that he couldn't in his existence? Or was his new ability kicking in? It was all so strange and confusing, especially the way he was seeing all of this. He felt as though he were an outsider gazing in or as though he was having an out of body experience. He could look into the capsule and see himself clearly, standing there in the water with his eyes closed. And from all around him, he could see the lab, which was a huge bunker-type room with a lot of electrical equipment, computers, scanners, and anything else that would be found in a lab. Also, he could see hundreds upon thousands of capsules just like the one the he-that-wasn't-really-him was contained in. There were so many that he lost count after fifty.

In the capsules closer to his, were Randy and Wade, and he couldn't help but gape at them. Randy looked a lot younger than he was now, probably in his early teens, while Wade looked like an eleven year old, but he could still tell who they were and not just by looking at the zero and one clearly imprinted on their skin. Even in his memories, looking at them like this, his heart started beating faster, especially now that he knew that he was bound to both of them until they were destroyed. Just thinking about Randy or Wade dying sent unpleasant shivers down his spine and he silently vowed to do his best to make sure that didn't happen. Regardless of the fact that he hadn't know Randy at all when they were first mated, the thought of him dying saddened him greatly. He didn't even know how he'd feel if he even approached the idea of Wade dying.

Loud shuffling from behind him caught his attention and he turned around to the tables full of equipment to see a much younger Steve looking through numerous documents and jotting notes down on something he couldn't really see. John approached him, trying to be quiet, although he had the suspicion that he couldn't be heard. Looking down at the papers, he realized that they were files on himself, Randy, Wade and others of their kind. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that only about ten beings aside from himself, Randy, and Wade were in the capsules, all of whom appeared to be kids or teenagers. Did that mean that, in the first stages of development, his kind were raised n a Petri dish or something like that? It was possible, but unless his memories revealed that to him, he would never know for sure.

Turning back to Steve, John watched as his late friend read over the files and wrote on them, muttering to himself softly. A door to the left opened up and Crawford and Doctor Carol Cena walked in and they appeared to be in a heated discussion. From his work, Steve looked up at the pair and smiled.

"What's going on now between you two?"

"Emille doesn't agree with me that our creations should be given regular names like people."

"They're _not_ people, Carol. How many times have I tried to explain this to you?"

"Just because they're not like you and I doesn't mean that they're not _humane_. For the love of God, we haven't even let John out yet and all of his functions have been normal thus far."

"It's name isn't John and it's not human. It's name is The Prototype Carol."

"If he's not human then why did you create him to look like my late son, eh?" At this, Crawford stayed silent and cast his gaze elsewhere aside from Carol who, instead of appearing smug, had a look genuine curiosity on her face.

"I thought that you'd have it figured out by now." A light blush crossed Carol's face, but before she could say anything, Steve spoke up.

"I hate to interrupt your love fest, but I agree with Carol. John needs to be let out to roam and get use of the mobility of his limbs. Besides, how else are we to program him with all that the world knows unless he's outside of that capsule? We rig him up with those computer wires, and there goes our first real creation."

Somewhere, in the deep recesses of his mind, John vaguely remembered this conversation. It felt so familiar to him and he could almost predict who was going to say what. He wasn't too sure if he was completely 'awake' or not, but he must have been in order to hear and retain some of what they were saying.

"So now you're calling it John now, are you?" Steve smirked up from his chair at Crawford. Even John could hear in the doctor's tone that he was relenting.

"It's easier than saying 'The Prototype' all the time. Come on, Doc. Lighten up. John may not be human, but we created him and his kind based off of our own species so technically all he is is super human." Crawford shook his head, but he was unable to hide the smile slowly forming on his face.

"Fine. You're both right. John it is and we'll let him out tomorrow. It's getting late and I don't think now's a good time to let him loose."

Crawford approached John's capsule and peered at him, scrutinizing him closely. John moved so that he was right beside the older man and watched as the he-that-wasn't-really-him started to slowly, and with some difficulty, open his eyes. The bright blue orbs closed after a brief second before they reopened. Even from looking on like a ghost, John could recall his own confusion and slight fear at seeing Crawford looking so intently at him. However, his fear vanished when Crawford smiled at him and the he-that-wasn't-him closed his eyes and dipped his head back down.

"Tomorrow, we'll let John out. And maybe soon, we'll let Randy out. See how they react to one another. But for now, it's time to go." And with that, Crawford and Carol left, leaving Steve to reorganize the files and stack them neatly on one pile. Before he too left, Steve approached John's capsule and gazed up at him.

"You're something special John. You're proof of how much Crawford cares about Carol and that's enough to make me fight for you." Steve then left, turning off the lights.

John didn't know if his memories were swirling around him or what, but only a few seconds passed before the lights were turned back on. Steve, Crawford, and Carol entered the room and began reading over the files that were stacked on the desk. Looking around, he saw that Wade had grown a little bit more since the last memory recollection, but it wasn't a bad thing. Randy still looked to be a young teenager, although he could see a bit of change in him as well. Seeing them look so young and peaceful made him smile; if only they could see themselves now, what would they have to say?

"Alright Steve. Let's drain the capsule and let John out for his first test run. Theoretically, everything should be fine, but we can't be too careful."

"Gotcha."

And Steve approached John's capsule and typed a code into the keypad attached to it. As soon as the code was typed in, the water in the capsule began to drain until it was all gone. The doors opened and Steve reached in for John, wrapping a large, thick towel around his soaked body. Clumsily, John stumbled out of the capsule and opened his eyes, blinking them a few time before he shook his head. Drops of water rained down on whatever was closest to John, including Steve, but he didn't seem to care. As Steve helped up, John looked around, glancing at everything with wide, confusion-filled eyes before they settled on Steve. When the man let him go, John wobbled on his unsteady legs before he fell backwards, hitting the capsule.

"He hasn't been let out before, has he?" Carol's voice was filled with concern as she watched Steve help the first being. John watched the scene with a tiny bit of amusement; he must have been worse than a new born baby deer when he was first released.

"No he hasn't been. It's expected that he'll be clumsy until he gets his bearings. It shouldn't take him that long." Carol nodded at Crawford as they watched Steve straighten John up and help him walk around.

After minutes of trial and error, John finally appeared to have the hang of it and he was able to walk without Steve's assistance. John watched as his memory self continued to walk around the lab, gazing at everything with a curious look. When he approached Randy's capsule, he stopped and looked up at the still sleeping being. Pressing his hands to the glass, he leaned in closer, staring intently up at the other being. John moved closer to the two of them, trying to get a better look at what was going on. From inside the capsule, he could see Randy's eyes crack open slightly before closing tightly, as though trying to adjust to the unfamiliar lighting. Slowly, he reopened his pale, icy blue eyes more and more until they were completely open. When Randy looked down at John and their eyes connected, a spark of energy passed between them, one that John could clearly make out and one that took his breath away.

"Looks like Randy's woken up. Could it have anything to do with John?"

"Maybe, but we won't know for sure until we get more beings created and finalized and released. Of course, I'll probably let Randy out sooner than anticipated. He's not finalized yet, but he's waking up nonetheless. Could be worth the risk."

Randy closed his eyes and John frowned before he moved away from the capsule and walked over to Wade's. Still in his child-like stage, Wade was rather adorable and the real John could help but smile at him. The other John pressed his face against the capsule and looked at the child-like Wade. He didn't open his eyes like Randy did, but the heart pacing monitor that was connected to his sped up slightly. It kind of made him blush, the fact that, before he even knew anything at all, he was making Wade reaction in such a manner. Did Wade's heart still beat faster when he was around? In all honesty, he never took the time to just listen, but seeing his memory-self study Wade so intensely, it made him want to pause and listen to his Wade's heartbeat, to see if it still sped up.

"Steve. Collect him please. It's time we hook him up and fed him the knowledge of our world."

John walked over to the machine that Crawford and Carol were standing beside. It looked like a computer of some sort, but he wasn't too sure. Connected to it were wires attached to cream colored circles, the ones that were often placed on someone's head. Was that how they were going to program him? Although it looked too surreal, it must have been; it would have taken them too long to teach him normally. The memory-John was placed in the chair that sat beside the computer and Crawford attached the circle-things to his forehead.

"This is going to feel weird and uncomfortable, but it's completely necessary. After this session, your speech function should be fully operational and you should have the basic IQ of a ninth grader."

"How long is this going to take, Doc?" Steve asked as he took away the towel he gave the John, leaving him in only a pair of boxers.

"At least four hours. The maximum amount of time is six, but I'm hoping that it won't go beyond four."

"Why is that? Got a hot date tonight?" Steve chuckled at the looks that appeared on the faces of Crawford and Carol.

"Shall we turn on the computer and begin the programming?"

"Please do, Carol."

The John that sat in the chair fidgeted a bit before he ceased all movement. Now that the machine was on and running, processing and exporting all of the information that Crawford wanted to transfer into his brain, John sat completely still, his eyes going blank and glossing over. Steve studied his face and spoke up, sounding uncertain.

"Is he supposed to do that? And to look like that?" Crawford looked at John before returning to the computer.

"Yes, he is. It's part of his basic function. His conscious mind is shut down until the programming is completed, then it'll return to normal. It's almost like he's in a coma without actually being in a coma."

"Oh."

The real John watched on until everything around him distorted and his memory shifted to another forgotten memory. It stopped briefly at one memory on him still attached to the computer scanning system and he watched as Crawford explained to Steve that there was no longer a need to use the system. All around him, his memory shifted until it stopped and everything came into focus. He wasn't in the lab anymore. Now, he was in a small room, a break room or something like that, where his memory-self was with Steve and Randy. John was watching Steve make coffee while Randy was watching John, his eyes never looking away from John's body as he watched and moved about.

"It's like having a puppy." John tilted his head at Steve's comment, looking confused.

"What's like having a puppy, Steve? Is the Doctor going to get us a puppy? That'd be nice, since it's just Randy, Wade, Mike, and I. Gets kind of boring with just the four of us, even when…" John's voice trailed off as he looked over his shoulder at Randy, who grinned and licked his lips. A blush came over his face and he turned back to catch Steve's slightly smirking face, coffee cup held to his lips.

"I'll see what I can do. Hey, I forgot something. I'll be right back. No one else aside from myself and the Doctor are outside of the lab units, so you'll be fine alone here." And with that, he slipped out of the door.

John, trying not to pay attention to the feel of Randy's heated icy blues on him, opened the nearest cupboard and retrieve a coffee cup from it. Today was the first time he had ever seen coffee being made and he wanted to try it and taste it. The real John leaned against the opposite wall and watched as Randy continued to lean forward, his gaze traveling all over the other John's body. After a few moments, he got up and stalked over to John, who was still trying to ignore him. All body movement stilled when he felt Randy's presence so close to his body. Large tanned hands came to rest on his bare shoulders and Randy leaned in and started to nibble on John's ear.

"I want you, John-John. I want you so damn bad."

"Randy. We can't. Not here. And don't you remember last week when the Doctor caught us making out? He wasn't too happy about that; said personal bonds would get in the way of our objectives."

"The Doctor won't even tell us what our objectives are. Besides, he's just pissed because Carol hasn't been around lately. Seeing anyone else get some is probably a sore spot for him."

"Randy! That's not nice."

"Neither is denying me, Johnny." Randy forced John to turn around and face him, leaning in so close that their lips were touching.

"I had to watch you be taken by Wade on Monday. You have no idea how difficult it was seeing his hands all over you, seeing him kiss every last inch of you, and seeing you want him just as badly. I know that the three of us are a part, but my world revolves around you, and I think it's time that you allow me to take you." He kissed John passionately, possessively and John watched as his other self gave in and kissed back, wrapping his arms around Randy's neck, pulling him in closer.

Randy lifted John up so that he now sat on the counter and he spread John's legs open so he could slip in between them. A loud moan escaped John's lips as they continued to kiss, his blunt nailed digging into Randy's copper skin. Tanned hands caressed his face before they ran down his neck and then to his chest. Pinching John's nipples, Randy smirked at the mewling sound he received in return. Breaking the kiss, panting, Randy moved his lips down to John's neck, leaving open mouthed kisses along it, nipping at the soft skin. The real John was so caught up in the heat of the moment, that he almost didn't see Steve's face peer through the door, smirking evilly before he left once again. What was he up to now? His thoughts were interrupted when he heard himself gasp out loud. Turning back to the scene before him, John watched as Randy's hand cupped his hardening erection.

"R-Randy. Not…Not here."

"John, if I don't fuck you right here, right now, I'm going to explode."

All of John's protests died when Randy's lips claimed his own yet again and the real John was feeling himself becoming hot and bothered. Before it could continue any further, the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the two and Randy pulled away, looking less than impressed while John flushed red and buried his head against the other's chest. Standing at the door was Doctor Crawford, hands crossed over his chest and looking incredibly angry. Behind him was Steve, who was trying very hard to stop the laughter from bursting out of him.

"What did I tell you two last week?" Randy frowned and wrapped his arms around John possessively while the other was still too embarrassed to lift his head up.

"I forget." Crawford sighed and shook his head.

"Randal, I've designed special rooms for you and Wade to…fornicate with John. However, I will not tolerate such behavior outside of those rooms! Last week, I caught you two in the public bathroom on the third floor. Is your libido really that insatiable?"

"Only when it comes to my John-John." At that, Steve did laugh out loud and Crawford sent a dirty look at his assistant.

"Take them back to the lab Steve."

Once more, his memories blurred and distorted, causing John to get a bit dizzy. This out of body experience was incredibly bizarre and he really wished that remembering everything were so much easier and less hassle than this. A few seconds later, everything stopped and John was back in the lab again, but this time, the lights were dimmed, although he could still see. Looking around him, John saw that all of the capsules were filled and every being inside of them appeared to be sound asleep. The only one that wasn't asleep or even in his capsule was John, who sat on a stool a few inches away from his capsule and watched as Crawford and Steve talked animatedly.

"So, you over heard Noba talking to Hernandez about The Virus and The Animal?" Steve nodded and replied to Crawford's question.

"Yes, I did. He said that he had injected this powerful virus into The Animal and that when it woke up, it would infect the other humanoids by biting them."

"Did he say why he was doing this?"

"Aside from you forcing him to put The Animal to sleep? Yes. Apparently, our…employers, the leaders of the U.N., have been tricking us this whole time. These beings are going to be used to help. They're weapons. A private army. I've got to say that, although Noba's completely nuts, he's right. I've heard rumors about it and the way that the leaders are constantly checking in on us and asking about their abilities… It's too much of a coincidence."

"I've known for a while that their intentions were less than noble. But I wasn't too sure how to combat them. At least, not until now. We can't keep this up. We can't let our creations be used for such horrid schemes."

"What's your plan Doc?"

"It's already been set in motion." At this, Crawford turned to John and he gazed into his creation's bright blue eyes.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, John."

"Me too Doctor." Steve spoke up, a bit confused.

"Woah, woah, woah. What's going on? Does John know about this?" Crawford ignored him and instead continued talking to John.

"You're the exact replica of Carol's son John. We hid our affair from her husband, but thankfully, the one result of it survived: John. He's dead now, my own son. In his place, I created you. You're every bit like him and so much more. I wish I had more time with you, to show you things, to teach you more, but time is of the essence." Crawford then turned to Steve, his serious gaze boring into the eyes of his most trusted friend and assistant.

"Steve, you've been with me since your internship. I couldn't ask for a better assistant or friend. But there's one more thing that I must ask of you." Steve stared at the older man, confused, but more than ready to help.

"What do you need of me?"

"I'm going to put you in suspended animation, one that will last long enough that you'll survive hundreds of years. You will be there when our creations awaken."

"You're putting them to sleep? For how long?"

"Five hundred years. The same as you if you agree. Everyone but John is already asleep, and it's only a matter of time before I'm found out and captured. I'll be giving you all of my notes and files when I suspend you, so everything will be with you when you wake up. You may or may not awaken before the humanoids do. Regardless of that, find John, Randy, and Wade. Stay with them, bring them into the light should they forget. They are our only hope against The Animal."

"Why do you say that, Doctor?" John's voice interrupted their conversation and Crawford turned to him, his eyes wide and pleading with John to understand.

"Because inside of the three of you are the three components of The Virus with which The Animal is infected." John's eye widened and he stared at the doctor who was looking at him with pleading eyes, seeking forgiveness.

"But…how will it work if those components are inside of us?"

"When the time comes, you will know. Until then, don't worry about it." Crawford turned back to Steve.

"Here are my files. Keep them with you. Hide them as well as you can when I place you in the capsule. There's a locking code I'll be using, but I want to be careful regardless."

"You got it Doc."

"Good. Steve, now's the time. Step inside."

The real John and the memory John both watched as Steve walked away from John's capsule and walked towards an empty one. He breathed in deeply before he opened it and got in. Taking off his lab coat and wrapping it around the files and folders that Crawford gave them, he threw them onto the capsule floor and stepped on top of them.

"This ought to look a bit more realistic and less planned."

"You're doing fine. Now, when it closes and begins injecting the formula into the capsule, I want you to pound on the doors and scream. If you do, it'll look as though I forced you in there to keep your mouth shut." Nodding, Steve stood up proudly, his black shirt clinging to his toned body.

Both John's watched as the capsule closed up and an odd colored liquid started flowing into it. Steve brought his hands up and pounded on the glass capsule, screaming out something that couldn't be heard. With an even pace, the capsule filled up and before too long, Steve was frozen, suspended in animation. Once it was completely filled, both Johns turned to look at Crawford, who was breathing in deeply, trying to calm himself. He looked up at the memory John and the real John noticed how tired and worn out he looked.

"I'm sorry for doing this to you John. I'd rather not have to put you to sleep, though if I release you, suspicion may rise considering you'll never age."

"I understand Doctor. Don't worry; Wade, Randy, and I will find The Animal and we'll destroy him. " Crawford smiled and walked John over to his capsule. He got inside and stood still, staring down at Crawford.

"The Animal, Batista, is ruthless, cunning, and won't stop at anything until it gets what it wants. Noba has programmed it with a bloodlust for humans and if our race is destroyed, everything is destroyed. It's up to you John, you who are The Prototype, the leader of your kind. The future of the world rests on your shoulders. It's an unfair and heavy burden, but I couldn't trust anyone else with it. Randy is, well, Randy, and Wade is…"

"Wade." John smiled sadly down at Crawford who nodded and smiled sadly back.

"Indeed. There's so much I wanted to tell you, so many of your brothers and sisters you've yet to met. My notes contain the answers to everything. Anything that you don't know, they do. Don't forget, John. Please, don't forget."

And with that, the capsule began to fill up and the memory John sank into a deep, undisturbed slumber.


	11. Chapter 10: Infected

A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner. School and work have been eating me alive with assignments and the usual stuff. But you don't want to hear about that I'm sure, so, on with the next chapter. Thank you to all of you who have supported this story. Your support and reviews have made me smile and have kept my inspiration up and running through thin and thick. R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Ten: Infected**

Opening his eyes, John squinted at the harsh light that enveloped the kitchen area of Steve's apartment. Blinking them rapidly, he opened them wider until he could make out the floor that he was staring at. Shaking his head, groaning softly, John realized that his head was resting against the table and he was shaking. A warm hand was placed on his back and rubbing soft, soothing circles in his back. He calmed down almost instantly and he released a shaky breath that sounded more like a laugh. From beside him, he heard Wade flipping through papers while Justin, from a few feet away, probably standing, was doing the same.

Feeling stiff and a bit tired, John sat up and shook his head, as though he were trying to shake off the remnants of a dream. As his eyes took in the kitchen, he saw that Justin was leaning against the counter and reading a file that he held in his hand. Above the kitchen table was a moving ball of light that lit the kitchen up enough for them to read properly by. He didn't remember seeing a light fixture over the table before and he squinted at it, wondering if that was something Wade or Justin was doing or not. Almost as if he could read his mind, Justin spoke up, looking up from the file he was reading to flash a brief smile at John.

"One of Wade's abilities: light manipulation. Comes in handy at night. Not all of us have superior senses like you and Wade do."

John looked over beside him and saw that Wade was sitting beside him, a file open in front of him but his green eyes were focused on John. Prior to him finding his memories, he probably would have found the gaze way too intense and uncomfortable. But now that he had finally remembered everything, his reaction was practically opposite of what it would have been. Instead of squirming uncomfortably, he felt his heart swell with adoration and need. There was no feeling of awkwardness; no feeling of embarrassment or shyness. In its place, something was stirring deep inside of him and it screamed for Wade, for his touches, his kisses, his entire being. He wasn't stupid; he knew that all he wanted to do right now was have hot, dirty sex with Wade regardless of the fact that they had a mission to complete. Regardless of the fact that Justin was there. It had been so long since he had been with Wade; he had been with Randy already, but he _needed_ Wade more than anything, more than Randy.

"John? Are you okay?" Wade's voice sent shivers all over his body, but he enjoyed those shivers. He may not know who he wanted to be with most, but he definitely knew that his body was craving to be with Wade.

"I…" How could he put it into words without making a complete idiot of himself? Although he knew that Wade would understand, Justin might not and he'd rather not make a fool of himself in front of the younger man.

"John, I know what you're feeling. I've felt the same way since I woke up and left without finding you. But before we can do anything about that, we need to take care of our mission." John nodded and Wade smiled softly at him, reaching out and caressing his face. Before they had been put to sleep, John remembered preferring to be with Wade over Randy; he loved them both, but Randy was always pure, raw sexual desire whereas Wade was deeper than that. He needed them both like he needed air, but there were times when Randy's intensity was a bit too much for him.

"What are you looking at?" Wade turned back to his file and pushed it over to John. On the file was a picture of a man he had no seen before. The name read Phil.

"He prefers being called Punk instead of Phil. He's the leader of the tribe that's settled at Nexium Inferno, named after the volcanic activity that surrounds it. Punk's barrier keeps the town safe and secure." Wade's tone was strained and laced with pain and remorse. John looked up at him, his gaze questioning.

"You know a lot about him. What happened?" Wade hesitated for a moment before he answered. At this point, Justin had walked back to them and he sat down on the other side of John, staring at the taller man.

"Yes Wade, what did happen? You never told Chris, Heath, or myself precisely why you left." Nodding, Wade kept his gaze focused on Punk's file.

"It was chaotic when we all woke up. Many of our kind had never been released; just those who later became the leaders of their tribes plus a few nomads. Miz is the exception though; he was never awakened and released like we were way back then. His abilities gave him his position."

"What are his abilities?"

"He can cut off a person's senses and imprint into their minds feelings of hopelessness, hatred, and other unpleasant thoughts and feelings. Weather manipulation and…what else, Wade?" Justin asked the older man who smirked slightly.

"Miz can also detect relationship bonds. Like soul mates and whatnot. Which is why he was so hell bent on retrieving Alex Riley from Randy's grasp."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Inked into our kind's skin are serial numbers that match each of us to another or, in your case, to two others. As the Doctor once explained to us, this was to be sure that, should any of us be destroyed or anything of the sort, that procreation would take place."

"I remember that now. That was when the Doctor thought that we were being created to help humanity and stop disasters."

"Indeed. Anyway, back to Punk…" Wade sighed as though he'd rather not talk about it, but he continued to do so anyway.

"When we all woke up, there were only a few of us who knew where we were and what was going on. Since there were different lab units, not all of us were together originally. That had changed when we woke up. Something happened during out five hundred year sleep that made the lab unit walls separating us crumble and fall apart. As a result, we were all together in one large underground vault-type room. Naturally, there was panic and fear amongst us, but luckily, we made our way out and parted ways.

"Many of us stuck together and formed what are now our settled tribes today. They're all over the place and contain different populations of our kind. My first priority when I was out was to find you though. And I searched everywhere I could for you for years. That's how I stumbled upon Punk and his tribe at Nexium Inferno." Wade shook his head in disgust and continued.

"It was after my first two abilities came to being: light manipulation and an earth affinity, one that I seldom use. Anyway, Punk realized what I was and what I could do and he wanted to use that to his advantage. He told me that he knew where you were and that he'd help me find you if I agreed, and I did. However, before I could be used, Punk's other half, a woman named Alexandria, came into the picture. She was his opposite in every way and knew what he was up to: finding and assisting The Animal, named Batista." Silence fell upon them after that statement and John stared at Wade in shock and disbelief. Had he just heard the other correctly?

"Why…? Why would he…?"

"Control. If he join's Batista, then he can find a way to control him, and if he can control him, then he controls everything."

"Is Phil mad or just stupid?" Wade smiled slightly at John's use of Punk's real name.

"He's power hungry, I think. Alexandria thought so too, that's she left the tribe and him, taking me with her. We wandered a bit until I ran into Chris and joined him. I haven't seen or heard from her since. I don't even know if she's still alive."

Silence settled upon them and John squirmed in his seat. An almost oppressive atmosphere settled and it nearly choked him. He knew that he ought to be reading the notes and files more, but he just couldn't. So much information had come to him all at once and he needed to breath. Standing up, he walked out of the kitchen, ignoring the curious and worried looked Wade and Justin were giving him. Quickly, he left Steve's apartment and walked down the hallway and then through the office, sighing in relief when he saw the door to the warehouse was still open. However, this didn't lift the oppressive feeling that hung over him and it continued to stay with him even as he stepped outside of the building. Sighing, John leaned against the side of the building, breathing deeply and trying to calm himself down, unsure as to why he was feeling what he was feeling.

"I knew I'd find you here. Wherever Wade goes, you go. That's how it's always been." John jumped as he looked over and saw Randy standing there. The oppressive feelings that he had felt, they had been coming from him. But they were too strong for John to just be feeling them; Randy must been doing it himself.

"Randy! God, you scared the crap out of me! Just like back in the lab that one time when you-"

"You remember?" Randy looked shocked, but pleased and John nodded and scooted away from the building, turning so that he faced the taller man.

"Coming to Steve's place triggered them. I knew it would; that's why I followed you."

"Randy, I know everything. Or most of it anyway. The three of us are needed to bring down Batista." Randy nodded before he smirked at him, making John shudder. The memories he had did no justice and he was amazed at how handsome Randy really was. Just like with Wade, the feelings of needing and wanting to be close to the other began to overcome him and he bit his lip to keep himself from groaning out loud.

"John? Are you okay?" Wade's voice brought him out of his reverie and he shook his head before looking over his shoulder and seeing Wade and Justin walk out of the building. Randy scowled and grabbed John's wrist, pulling him back and close to his body.

"You always did have the bad habit of interrupting things. Why can't you just leave me be?" Wade sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, looking tired and grumpy.

"He doesn't belong exclusively to you. We're both his destined ones and he has the choice of being with either one of us at any given time. Your possessiveness is quite unnecessary, Randal." The wind picked up and John shivered, stepping closer to Randy's warm body. Looking up, John saw that the cloudy sky was turning dark and the threat of a storm was felt as the wind continued to blow.

"You're just pissed at the fact that he hasn't slept with you yet. Jealousy isn't very becoming of you, Wade."

The sky above them rumbled and John couldn't help but keep his attention on it. He completely tuned out the argument between Randy and Wade. In all honesty, he was tired of their bickering and he just wanted to be with both of them. Why couldn't they see that? Lightning lit up the sky and John jumped slightly as the first loud clash of thunder rumbled around them. Turning his attention back to Randy and Wade, he saw that they were still arguing. Justin, however, looked just as concerned about the sudden thunderstorm as John was and he was glad that his friend has a clearer head on his shoulders than the other two.

"Guys, will you just shut the hell up? It's about to storm something awful and we're out here standing and fighting like morons." Randy and Wade looked at him before turning their attention to the sky above them. Clouds rolled, lightning flashed, and thunder growled down at them.

"You're right, John. We should head back inside or go somewhere else."

"I've already secured a place, so don't worry." Wade shot Randy a wary look before he responded.

"And what makes you so sure that we're going to go with you."

"Because this building looks like it's ready to collapse. Even if Steve did make any sort of repairs to it, they aren't strong enough to last, especially with the four of us inside and a storm brewing. It'd be better to go elsewhere." Wade sighed but nodded. John, Wade, and Justin followed Randy as he walked and rounded the side of the building. Before they could continue any further, a streak of lightning struck not too far from them, causing Randy to push John back and away from it.

"Looks like we've got them right where we want 'em."

"Yeah it does. Odd, they don't look like the others." The two male voices seemed to come from nowhere, but after a few seconds, they soon revealed themselves. John stared at the two young men, wondering who the hell they were and what they wanted with them.

"I know who you two are…" Justin's voice caught John's attention as well as the two strangers and they looked at him with bemused expressions on their faces.

"And just who exactly are we?" The one with dirty blonde hair asked.

"Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, the leaders of the Stalkers." Both Chris and Alex smirked and they approached the group, but stopped a few feet away.

"Yeah, that'd be us. I'm so glad that word of our work has traveled. It makes things a lot easier for us."

"Why wouldn't we know about you? You hunt our kind out of pure pleasure and hate. We've tried our best to keep ourselves away from humans and yet you still come after us as though we were wild game." Wade's words were cold and harsh and they seemed to strike a chord within the two humans. Both Alex and Chris glared at the four of them and John was startled to see such a sudden change within them.

"No! We don't kill for pleasure. You're the ones who are trying to kill us humans! You Infected Ones and your leader. Well, we've had enough! Someone's got to take a stand and we're the only ones tough enough to do so!" Another bolt of lightning struck down close to them and John could practically feel the heat and sizzle of the electricity dancing across his skin. However, he wasn't bothered by it; he had other things on his mind. Something Alex had said bothered him and he needed to know exactly what he meant.

"What do you mean by 'Infected Ones'?" John's voice was steady and calm and he felt the confusion that emanated from the two.

"Batista and his 'army'." Randy's eyes narrowed and Wade sucked in a deep breath, but it was John who continued to speak.

"Batista is the carrier of The Virus, I know that. But I didn't know he had followers…" Alex let out a humorless laugh before Chris could explain.

"He and his followers have been going into the cities and killing humans at random. There was an attack here not too long ago. A girl was found in pieces in an alleyway and some of her is still missing."

"Why are you telling us all of this? I don't recall that Stalkers strike up conversations with their victims prior to death." Chris set his gaze on Randy who stared back at him. Alex scowled at him, showing obvious disdain for Randy, but he didn't say anything.

"Infected Ones stand out from the rest of your kind. Aside from their powers, they have deep purple circles under their eyes and dried blood on them. Besides, they smell wrong."

"You can smell them?" John didn't know who these two men were. They were human and, from the way he saw it, they were all on the same side here. But who were they? And if they were the leader of the Stalkers, why did they come after Steve and himself? All of the things he was learning didn't add up; in fact, they only served to confuse him more.

"I can. Alex can't." Chris' answer left nothing to be argued. Wade frowned at him and John felt the worry, confusion, and disbelief roll off of him before the taller man collected himself and straightened up.

"No normal human can do that as far as I know." Chris smirked and stared at Wade steadily, completely ignoring the fact that the other was taller than he was.

"Let's just say that I'm not normal."

"Why did your gang come after Steve and me? Did you think that we were Infected Ones or something?" John's sudden question stopped any sort of retort that Wade was about to unleash. Chris and Alex both looked at him, shame and uneasiness written clearly on their faces.

"That was….a huge mistake. We had corrupted members within the gang who teamed up with some of the Infected Ones. We didn't know what had happened until it was too late. Most of our numbers were wiped out, plus an innocent human had been murdered because of it. Ever since then, we've been on our own."

"We're not Infected Ones. That much was obvious before you even showed yourselves. So why come after us?" Justin asked them, stepping forward and gazing at them steadily. John moved closer and was nearly stopped by Randy, who had reached out for him before he thought better of it and let his hand fall back into place.

"Chris and I were told that there was a cure to The Virus within Batista. We're willing to do what it takes to bring that bastard and the Infected Ones down. Even if he means teaming up with others of your kind."

"You were the only ones in the area, so he tracked you here. Simple as that." Chris' voice sounded nonchalant, but John wasn't followed. Both Chris and Alex looked uneasy and worried, and he could feel their doubt about them finally finding their small group.

"Do you even know where Batista is?" Randy's voice sounded condescending and it annoyed John a little bit. However, neither Alex or Chris seemed to mind his tone. In fact, they both smirked while Chris nodded his head, looking triumphant as he stood before them with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Sure do. Just follow the bodies."


	12. Chapter 11: Blood

A/N: Sorry it's been a few days since I've updated, but I've been going some research on a super special awesome story that's in the makes. Don't get too worked up however for it won't be coming out until this story and _Nightmare_ are both complete. So, there aren't many chapters left of E.V. and it's kind of depressing. I rather enjoy writing these chapters and such. Anyway, I'm glad that y'all liked the last chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Eleven: Blood**

"Before we follow anything, I need to stop by my place first." Randy's voice called out to Chris and Alex who were already starting to walk away. They stopped and turned back, Alex looking annoyed while Chris looked tired.

"Why? Isn't killing Batista important to you? After all, he threatens the entire world and everything and every…one in it." Chris' eyes glanced over at John before returning to Randy, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"I have to go pick up some things. Unfortunately. I won't take long."

"Where is it?"

"The apartment building near the outskirts of town beside the abandoned lot."

"That's where our place is."

Alex's eyes narrowed at Randy who merely stood up straighter and smirked at them. John sighed. All he wanted to do was find Batista and get this over with. Okay, so it was his nerves that were making it hard to stay calm; after all, he had no idea what The Animal looked like or how strong he was. And the last thing he wanted to do was dive head first into a fight completely oblivious about his opponent's capabilities. Sure, he'd have Randy and Wade helping him, but he didn't think that they knew too much about him either.

"Hey, have either you or Alex ever seen Batista before?" Attention now shifted to John, but he really didn't care at this point. He wanted, and needed, to get rid of Batista once and for all. After all, even though he didn't actually kill Steve, he's still responsible for his death. At least, he was in John's mind.

"Yeah. Once. At Silent Lake on the other side of Jimen. We were there with my mom. She was…Well, she's the one who actually started the Stalkers group. Mom told me all about Batista and the Infected Ones. While we were resting at Silent Lake, Batista came and he…" Chris' explanation was riled with pain and sadness, which hit John in his gut hard. He didn't need Chris to continue to know that his mother had been killed by Batista; how else could the man explain such feelings of sadness, sorrow, and anger?

"Chris' mom was awesome. Real strict, down to business, and expecting the best, but she understood better than anyone else and knew more things than anyone else I know. She was like a mom to me Alexandria was." Wade's head snapped up and he stared at them wide eyed.

"Wait… Did you just say Alexandria?" Alex nodded.

"Alexandria is your mum?" Chris nodded and frowned, beginning to get annoyed with the questions and the urgency held within them.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I knew her. I traveled with her for a while before I met Chris and left. I'd no idea she had a son…" Shrugging, Chris started walking, moving them away from the warehouse and out of the neighborhood.

"She met my dad in Motor City, probably after you left or whatever. Apparently, they shared a 'deep connection' and well, nine months later, I came along. I've never met him; don't even know his name. Mom took me away and we traveled everywhere. It was when we returned to Motor City that I met Alex and we sort of took him."

"So does that mean that you're like us?" Justin asked him, amazement and curiosity evident in his voice. A smirk crossed Chris' face and he turned back to look at him.

"Come on, you guys don't think that that lightning coming down so close to you was a work of nature did you? I may not be completely super human, but I'm not completely human either." And he left it at that.

It was quiet as they walked further and further away from the warehouse. John looked back at it and tried to commit the image of it to memory. He was going to come back to this place when everything was said and done. There was so much that he still didn't know about Steve and about what happened over his five hundred year sleep. Even his memories didn't give him a clearer picture of what had occurred during his deep sleep. They continued walking back the way he, Wade, and Justin came and John noticed that not many people were hanging around outside like earlier. Soon, they ventured off of their previous path and turned left, heading down a street lined with tall buildings and cars. John spoke up, breaking the silence that had uncomfortably settled over them.

"You said that if we wanted to find Batista, all we had to do was follow the bodies. What did you mean by that exactly?" For a few minutes, no one said anything. John thought that no one had heard him and he was about to give up waiting for a response when one finally came.

"You travel a lot, don't you?" John thought that Alex's question was weird, but he answered it nonetheless.

"Yeah. Steve and I only stayed at a town once. Other than that, he preferred roughing it. Why?"

"Then I suppose you've never read any of the papers?"

"No. And even if we did get a paper, Steve would always read them and would throw it away when he was done. Told me that I didn't need to worry about them just yet. Why? What are you getting at?" Alex sighed and shook his head before he answered.

"Recently, there has been an increase in the numbers of murders taking place in cities and towns all over the place. Always the same way too: bodies torn apart, some pieces eaten and chewed on, and always at night in alleyways or dark streets. Never out in the open and never with witnesses around."

"The Infected Ones…"

"Bingo. And the more of your kind that Batista infects and turns, the more dead bodies show up. But they make a trail. We're close to catching the fucker, that's for sure."

Nodding, John looked down and kept walking as he followed them. It didn't take all that long for the buildings to spread out and soon, they came upon the abandoned lot and the apartment building beside it. Standing outside of the building were two figures that John vaguely recognized. As they got closer, he realized who they were: Ted and Cody. Dread filled him as they approached the pair and he remembered what Cody had said to him at Castle Lake, and it pissed him off. He didn't care who this Cody guy was, but Randy was his, just like Wade was his, and the poor kid was fooling himself. Normally, he'd be sympathetic to that, but instead he felt annoyance and dislike.

"Cody! Ted! I told you two to wait inside. Why the hell are you out here?" Randy stopped his grumbling when he took a closer look at Cody. John looked at him too, and he looked like crap. Cody's eyes were bloodshot, so much so that the whites were completely dark red, and he was pale and trembling. With a deep frown, Randy's hands reached out and gripped Cody's upper arms tightly, shaking him a little bit.

"What did you see?"

With shaky hands, Cody brought his hands up and ran them through his hair as though he were trying to calm himself down. It failed, judging by his quivering voice and his exhausted looking eyes.

"Blood. Lots and lots of blood. Dead human parts scatted everywhere. Too many of them, so unnatural, so abnormal. _His_ army, the Infected Ones. They're following him to Jimen; they're planning an assault on Morrison and his gang. If we don't unite, we will all die. Not even Amnesia, Memory, and Change can stop him if we're not all together for the final battle." From beside him, Ted rubbed soothing circles on Cody's back. As John watched him, he saw the two inked numbers stand out against Ted's tanned skin, his serial number. He wondered briefly if Ted's number matched Cody's before he was brought back from his thoughts.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Alex turned to Chris who merely shrugged and kept his eyes focused on Cody.

"Batista and the Infected Ones are heading towards Jimen?" Randy's voice was low and as soft as it could be all things considered. John couldn't help but shiver at hearing it. Cody nodded, looking tired and dazed and John realized that he was leaning heavily on Ted for support.

"He's going after Morrison?" Another nod and Randy let him go and stepped back.

"What could Batista be planning?" John turned to Justin, who was on his right and had been watching the scene intently.

"From what I've gathered and assume, he could be planning to take out each of the tribes individually."

"But if we all gather together before he makes it, we could stop him and the Infected Ones in their tracks." Wade speculated and Randy nodded at him.

"But how do we gather our forces together in such a limited amount of time?" Chris asked, looking at Randy and Wade. Both looked a bit stumped at that, but John spoke up.

"What about Chris?" All eyes turned to him and he explained.

"Wade's Chris, I mean. He can force his thoughts into other's minds, so he'd be able to do that with everyone of our kind, right?" Wade thought for a moment, nodding his head as he did so.

"You're right. He'd be able to do that without a problem. It's one of those talents that he likes to brag about sometime."

"But where exactly is he?" Randy sneered at the taller man, who glared at him and turned to face him. Just before another argument broke out between the two, Justin spoke up, a small grin on his face.

"I know exactly where he is. Follow me."

Justin walked past the apartment building and continued down the street until he stepped up onto the pavement and headed straight for the woods. John followed him as did the rest of their odd little group. As he followed the younger man deeper into the wooded area, his thoughts turned to those around him. So many conflicting emotions were abound, but thankfully he was getting used to dealing with them. But his last ability, memory revitalization, that was the one he was most curious about. Was it specific only to him or could he use it on anyone? If it were the latter, then it'd probably be more useful; it seemed odd to have an ability that didn't serve much of a purpose except to help him specifically.

Perhaps he should just be thankful that he has these abilities and is something more than just human. Just human… He stifled a humorless laugh. It sounded incredibly demeaning and mean of him whenever he thought of that phrase, as though it were a disease. Chris, the Stalker leader, was half human half humanoid and even though he didn't show it outwardly, John felt the whirlpool of emotions that the young man kept bottled up inside of him. And what about Alex, Chris' partner? John wasn't ignorant, he felt the strong emotions that both Alex and Chris shared for each other, but how would that work out? His kind never aged, never died of natural causes as far as he knew and could remember, so being in a relationship with someone like Chris, how could that possibly work out? And yes, John realized that all of these worries were just to cover up his own doubt and fear about finally facing The Animal at long last. But he couldn't help it; his nerves were seriously starting to get to him, especially after hearing Cody's vision.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he looked up and saw that Randy and Wade were walking on either side of him and he felt a little bit better. He wasn't in this alone, but having them fight alongside him made him worry as well. To be honest with himself, he still wasn't over Steve's death; he was still grieving for the loss of his friend, his father figure, and the thought of losing Wade, Randy, or both…. It was almost too much to bear and he felt his legs starting to tremble. However, before he could trip or fall, Wade rested a warm hand on his shoulder, rubbing it softly before he ran it down his arm and took John's hand in his own. From his left, Randy reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it comfortingly before he merely held onto it as they continued to walk. And just like that, he felt better.

Looking at both of them, John flashed a small smile before returning his gaze forward to follow Justin. Up ahead, he saw a small cabin come into view and watched as smoke rose out of the chimney and sail away. All round him and their group, the wind picked up and blew, cold, yet soft and gentle. He vaguely remembered Wade telling him that Chris has an ability for wind manipulation and he realized that it was Chris who was making the wind act up in a silent gesturing, telling them that he knew they were there. As though Chris had read his thoughts, the man in question opened the door to the cabin and stepped out onto the porch, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Well, well, well, Justin and Wade. You two always know where to find me. And look! You brought me gifts." A mock look of disgust crossed Chris' face as he looked at Randy, Ted, and Cody.

"I would have rather preferred gift cards than those three, but what can you do? Oh yeah, Justin, Heath's inside waiting for you. Better go and give him a few kisses; he's pretty banged up." Justin's eyes widened at Chris' words and he bolted past his leader and into the cabin, slamming the door closed behind him. Chris laughed and shook his head before he turned back to the others, a satisfied grin spreading across his face when he looked at Randy. John didn't need his ability to tell that Randy was pissed; it practically rolled off of the taller man.

"Heath is supposed to be chained up for attacking my tribe." If possibly, Chris' grin widened.

"Yeah, he was, but he got out due to good behavior. Besides, you know as well as I do that that…distraction happened just to break John out. And it worked." Chris nodded at John who flashed him a brief smile. Chris' gaze then turned to Wade and his face lost a bit of its casualty and became serious.

"Good job, Wade. I couldn't have expected any more of you. But I bet you're not here for small talk and tea and crumpets, eh?" Wade let go of John's hand and stepped up onto the porch. John approached the porch and, reluctantly, so did Randy. Chris and Alex stayed behind the rest of them, watching and observing.

"I'm glad you're okay. Justin and Heath told me about…Steve…" Chris nodded and looked down at John, sending him a look of sympathy.

"Yeah. I wish I could have done more. Perhaps it wouldn't have gotten out of control if someone knew how to pick out the weeds from the roses." His last statement was directed at Chris and Alex who were immediately defensive and ready for a brawl. But before anything more could be passed between the three of them, Wade interrupted.

"Let's not start with that now. Cody's had a vision of Batista attacking Morrison and his tribe at Jimen. Unless all of the tribes, both settled and nomadic, combine their efforts, all is lost. We need you to alter everyone about Batista and his Infected Ones." Chris sneered at Cody's name.

"How do I know that Cody isn't just spewing nonsense to get Randy to fuck him? Boy's more desperate than Phil and that's saying something." Chris gave Wade a knowing gaze and the taller man nodded before looking down.

"What the fuck did you just-" Cody started up but John interrupted him, not caring about the death glare the younger man was sending him as he did so.

"I felt Cody's emotions when we found him after his vision. Believe me, it's not nonsense. It's real. And Batista will win if we don't alert everyone about him." Chris stared into John's bright blue eyes for a moment before he turned back to Wade and nodded.

"Okay. I'll tell everyone what's up. As soon as I do, we're leaving for Jimen because I'm telling everyone to meet at Morrison's. Besides, he owes me money."

Sighing in relief, Wade smiled and watched as his mentor closed his eyes and focused all of his energy into connecting to the minds of everyone of their kind. Even Chris, the Stalker leader, could feel his connection and he shuddered at the feeling of it. After a few minutes, when he was sure that all the connections were formed, Chris began talking in a loud, clear voice, making sure that everyone heard him.

"_Sorry to interrupt folks, but we've got a big problem on our hands, as you all are probably aware of. So listen up Morrison, Kane, 'Taker, Miz, Randy, Edge, and Phil." _John didn't need to look at Chris to know he was smirking as he said Punk's name; it was obvious from his voice.

"_The Animal, Batista, who Phil was oh so kindly trying to befriend – moron – is on his way with his little gang of Infected Ones to Jimen, hell bent on wiping out Morrison and his tribe. Scary shit huh?"_

"Chris, please try to be serious with this." Wade asked of him and Chris nodded, pouting slightly.

"_Seriously though, he is on his way and unless each and every one of us come together and finish the bastard and his army off once and for all. John, Randy, and Wade will take care of Batista; we can take care of the rest of them. If we don't unite and fight them off, we'll lose, and if we lose, all is lost. Since the attack is to take place at Jimen, I think it's only logical that we all meet at Morrison's and get ready for one intense fight. Start leaving now and get there as quick as possible. Too many lives are on the line to fuck this up. This is Chris Jericho telling you lazy asses to get moving and raise some hell!" _

And with that, the mental link was severed and everyone turned to the blonde to was leaning against the cabin's wall, looking tired and panting, but still smirking. The cabin door opened and a disheveled Justin stepped out followed by Heath, who was grinning and rubbing the shorter man's shoulder.

"Damn, that was intense. I haven't done that before. Nice to know that I can form the link with everyone." Chris stretched and yawned before he stood up straight and stepped away from the wall.

"Okay. We know what we need to do, so now it's time to go to Jimen. Run like fucking hell boys. Time is short and we've got a part to get started!"

And with that, Chris jumped over the porch railing and took off running as fast as he could towards what John suspected to be Jimen. Randy gave Ted and Cody a look and jerked his head in Chris' direction. Both of them nodded and Ted grasped Cody's hand before they took off, running almost as fast as Wade could. Justin and Heath followed them, bolting from the porch almost immediately. Before he left, Randy grabbed John and wrapped his arms around him tightly, nuzzling his neck before he kissed it and let go of him, running off after Justin and Heath. Wade jumped over the railing and walked over to John, offering his hand to him. With a brief smile, he took it, loving how warm it was. The taller man looked past him over at Chris and Alex and spoke before he too took off with John.

"I don't know how fast either of you run, but just get to Morrison's as fast as you can. We'll need both of you." Both nodded and turned to each other, speaking in low voices, but John didn't have time to think about what they were saying. Wade squeezed his hand briefly before they started running, heading towards Jimen and the battle that would soon take place.


	13. Chapter 12: Fight

A/N: What is this madness? Two updates in one week? Oh my good golly gosh! Yes, my lovelies, it is true. Two updates in one week (to me, weeks start on Monday and end on Sunday, just to let you know). A big THANK YOU to my readers and reviewers; your support makes me carry on and I'm glad I continue to write well enough to warrant your praise. I'd like to note that on July 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st I will not be online. Period. The reason for this is because I will be attending Otakon on those dates and as such I don't want to be bother by anything accept Otakon related stuff (If you're going, look me up!). It's the only time of year that I get to vacation away from school, work, and the internet, and I plan on enjoying it thoroughly. My boyfriend and a few of my friends will be with me, so it'll all be good (for more updates on Otakon, visit my deviant art page). Anyway, onto the next chapter! R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Twelve: Fight**

Everything was flying by him faster than he was used to. And John thought that Wade had been running fast back when they were escaping the Stalkers, but this…this was faster than that even. Colors were blending and swirling all around him, making it appear like a child's painting or something. Soon, the greens and the browns melted away and before long they had broken free of the woods and were rushing over a plains field, their legs being whipped and smacked by tall blades of grass. It tickled, but it didn't hurt. Then the grassy plain began to dissolve and soon it turned into a desert.

It was night so the sands of the desert weren't hot and scorching. Instead, they were nuke warm, even kind of cool, and it looked really soft. If he had the time, John would've stopped to run his hands along it, through it, just to feel it. But they didn't have time. At least not much. Batista and the Infected Ones were probably closing in on Jimen and Morrison. Just thinking about it made John shiver, but he knew that he had to end this. He wouldn't be alone of course; Randy and Wade would be with him, but still, he'd be worrying about them probably more than he should. After all, he had never seen them fight, and the only fighting he'd ever done himself was the exercises Steve had him do, and they weren't all that brutal.

Whenever he'd think about Batista, he pictured a huge mountain of a man with a distorted facial features, odd colored eyes, and fangs. Yes fangs. And he was covered in blood and had those purple lines under his eyes, just like Alex and Chris had explained to him. John knew that these images of Batista were stemming from his imagination, but he couldn't help it. He wondered how many others are their kind had turned to Batista's side and became the Infected Ones. Would they, like their leader, have to die as well? Probably, and while that did make him feel a bit downhearted, he knew that it was for the best that they be eliminated.

Deeper and deeper into the desert they ran. He didn't know how long or how far they'd traveled, but he didn't have time to worry about that. His mind was focused on how Randy, Wade, and himself were to destroy Batista. The Virus was inside of him, in his blood, and the three of them had components of the Cure in their own bloodstreams, so did that mean…?

As they continued making their way, John saw that there was a red-orange glow ahead of them. After a few minutes of running, he realized that it was a great bon fire and around it were people, a lot of people. Was this their destination? Gradually, Wade's running slowed and John had his answer as they jogged up to meet Chris, Randy, Ted, and Cody. He was about to ask where Justin and Heath were when he spotted them a few feet away talking to Evan, who waved and smiled at him when he spotted John. Smiling back, he looked around and saw that there were so many people here. Some he recognized from Randy's tribe and from Kane's, but for the most part, he didn't know them.

"When exactly are Batista and his gang supposed to show up?" Chris asked, cracking his neck as he did so. He looked bored and was staring around the bon fire with disinterest. A guy with shoulder length brunette hair answered him.

"I've got look outs who will send warning when they spot them. Keep your shorts on, Jericho."

"Oh? And how exactly are they going to give you the message if they're far away?" Morrison smirked which made Chris growl.

"Well, Trish can control lightning, so she'll send u some bolts and Austin knows a few cat calls. It's simple and easy. Trust me Christopher." Morrison turned to John and looked him over before he nodded and smirked to himself.

"You must be John. Mike told me about you, though only in passing. He's more interested in…other things." John shook his hand and followed Morrison's gaze over to where Miz and Alex Riley were standing. The shorter brunette looked as cocky and as smug and ever, though John did see that he was standing incredibly close to Alex.

"You must be Morrison."

"The one and only."

"Are we just standing around waiting for Batista or what?" Chris interrupted them and John couldn't help but laugh, albeit nervously, at him. That only made Chris' frown deepen and he glared heated at Morrison.

"Undertaker still hasn't arrived yet, neither have Edge and Christian. Though, if I'm not mistaken, they should be arriving….now." Morrison's gaze looked over John's shoulder and he nodded as two blondes made their way towards them. One had long blonde hair and a smirk on his face while the other had shorter hair and looked a bit apprehensive.

"Glad you two could make it. I'm sure we've got more of a fighting chance now that you're both here." Both smirked at that.

"It took us a bit longer. Had to make a detour. They really are coming, Morrison. Hope you're ready."

"Oh, I'm ready Edge. No doubt about that." Edge nodded and looked at the other man.

"You look like you've been sweating, Morrison. Something wrong?"

"Nah, Christian. Just getting pumped out for the fight to come. It'll be a good one. I can tell." Before the conversation could continue, the wind picked up tremendously and whipped around the entire crowd, earning gasps and shouts. John ducked his head and snuck a peek at Chris, wondering if he was doing it, but he took was ducking and covering his head, trying to keep the sand out of his eyes.

From the other side of the fire, the crowd parted and a tall man wearing a black trench coat stalked towards them, a grim expression on his face. John felt a hand grip his forearm and he saw that Randy was pulling him back and towards Wade and himself. He didn't fight the pull and stumbled back into them feeling better now that he was closer to them. The man in the coat continued stalking towards them and was only a few feet from the fire and, if he didn't stop walking, he'd be stepping into the pit and would catch fire. Although he tried to call out to the man, the wind was blowing too loud and harsh for him to do anything about it and he watched as the man stepped into the scorching, wildly whipping flame.

But the man didn't scream in pain or appear disturbed by the flames at all. In fact, he seemed perfectly fine and he walked through it and then out of it so that he stood before John and his group. The wind calmed down and John raised his head so that he could gaze up at the man. He had dark hair and facial hair and his face was sent in a serious expression. Others were crowding around them and John realized that the man before him must have been the Undertaker, the one they were waiting for. Wade rubbed his arm and straightened up while Randy coughed and shook his head.

"You must be Amnesia. I knew for years that we would meet on this night. I've traveled for days with my tribe to make it here just to meet the three who will finally end Batista once and for all." John nodded at him and took a deep breath before he answered.

"My name's John. And yes, Wade, Randy, and I are going to stop Batista, or die trying anyway." Undertake stared down at him and for a moment John thought that he had offended him. But after a few seconds, a vague smile appeared on the man's face and John's spirits lifted a bit, feeling better at knowing that he hadn't pissed the man off.

"I like your feisty personality, kid. You'll do fine. Don't worry, I have foreseen it. But the battle will be rough and bloody. Some of us won't make it." John nodded and he felt a bit more confident when Randy answered.

"We knew the risk before we were put to sleep. It's time to end this."

"They're coming. They'll be here very soon. Coming from the way I came, so we might as well make our way back."

But they didn't have to; the sounds of pounding footsteps could be heard and the vast majority of the crowd formed around John, Randy, Wade, Chris, Morrison, and Undertaker, all preparing themselves and getting ready for the final battle. John looked over his shoulder and scanned the crowd. A grin spread over his face when he saw Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley run over to join the crowd. Turning back, he watched as the horizon line went from being flat to wavering tremendously. And then, bodies appeared, hundreds of them, all looking more than ready to tear and rip and claw. From beside him, Undertaker's voice spoke softly, but strong and true and it gave John an extra burst of courage.

"One good thing about the Infected Ones is that their too blood thirst and hungry to use their abilities. Even those that can still use them can't do so very well. We have the advantage. Chris, Morrison. We ought to construct a wind barrier and knock some of them off their feet."

Smirking, Chris glared dead ahead, concentrating and maneuvering his fingers in odd patterns while Morrison nodded and closed his eyes, mumbled under his breath. Suddenly, and with almost a violent force, a visible barrier of wind and sand whipped around everyone who had shown as well as the fire, and eventually blew it out so that all was dark. But only for a little while; John's superior sense of eyesight kicked in within seconds and he was thankful for that. A minute or so after the barrier was put in place, the Infected Ones came charging into it, some hitting it with sickening thuds and cracks while others clawed and snarled, trying to get in. A man, tall and bulky, came charging out of the masses of Infected Ones and slammed his fist into the barrier. For a second it faltered before it disappeared completely. The man glared up at them, a triumphant look on his face while the Infected Ones ran towards them. John knew that the man that had destroyed the wind column was Batista.

From all around him, others of his kind charged forward, meeting the Infected Ones head on. It was a massive crowd of fighting, chaotic and confusing, and John had to help others beat down some Infected Ones as he, Randy, and Wade made their way to Batista. Finding him was hard; he hadn't moved from the spot he had landed in when he broke the barrier. John stalked forward, hell bent on getting to the man regardless of the fighting going on all around him. As his eyes scanned the crowd, he saw a bright burst of flames and then saw Heath smirk as several Infected Ones caught on fire and burned to death. The scent of blood and sweat hung in the air like a thick blanket and it made his skin crawl. But he couldn't think about that; the only thing on his mind should be Batista.

Wade and Randy stuck by him, through all of the fighting, through all of the pushing and shoving, screams and cries for help, through all of the smoke, heat, blood, and stench of burning and decaying flesh. It made him feel stronger, braver, and more ready to do this than he originally thought he was. Before the three of them could make it to Batista, who had kept his mocking gaze on them the entire time, his smirk widened and he took off the way he came, running as fast as he could. John growled in frustration and started running after him. He was a bit surprised when Wade grabbed his hand, but then he realized that, as Wade was faster than him, it only made sense. Together, the three of them ran after Batista and John's bright blue eyes narrowed in a glare when he heard The Animal's laughter. Ice ran through his veins as he heard the sound and he wanted to stop it for good.

The adrenaline rush that he felt made everything seem to go by faster and, in what seemed like no time, the desert was molding into a forest. All around them, trees flew by and the wind roared in their ears, but John didn't care. As they closed in on Batista, who was slowing down, John realized that the forest around them was shadowed in a blue light. Suddenly, himself, Wade, and Randy were bursting out from the trees and had arrived at a clear, pure water pond: the source of the blue light. Curiosity overcame him and John approached the pond and looked into the clear water. At the bottom of the pond, clear as day, was a woman who had light blonde hair and appeared to be peacefully sleeping, although he knew better. He knew, without asking, that this woman was dead. Then, Wade spoke up, and John looked up and backed away from the edge of the pond.

"It's too quiet here."

"That is why they call it Silent Lake."

"She's causing this." John's voice spoke softly, but loud enough for Randy and Wade to here. They moved over to him and peered into the pond. Wade gasped.

"Alexandria!"

Before anything else could be asked or said, Batista pounced out of nowhere and tackled Randy to the ground, growling furiously like an animal and raining blows down upon the fallen man. John's reaction was automatic: he yelled and ran at The Animal and tackled him to the ground, trying to pin his arms but failing miserably as Batista sent a hard punch to the side of his head. He groaned and was pushed over, but before Batista could clamber on top of him, Wade had kicked him, causing him to hiss and stand up, stalking towards him. Shaking his head, trying to ignore the blood pouring down his face from the cut he received from his fall, John stood up on shaking legs and panted as he saw Batista slam Wade into a nearby tree before he brought his arm around and hit Randy hard in the chest, sending him flying. How the hell were they supposed to kill Batista and wipe out the virus? How were they…

John's thoughts stopped as he watched a drop of his blood fall from his face and land on the smooth ground. Of course! Why didn't he think of that sooner? The Virus that Batista carries within him is in his bloodstream. The Cure, all three components, runs within himself, Randy, and Wade. Wouldn't it make sense that, in order to cure the ailment, all four of them had to, basically swap blood? But how would they mix it together? A sharp blow to his side sent him flying and John lost his train of thought. Batista stood above him, lips curled back revealing bloodstained teeth, the sight of which sent shivers down his spine. Looking past The Animal, John saw that Wade was trying, and appearing to have some difficulty, standing up while Randy was busy healing a particularly deep cut on his left arm. And like a beam of light, the answer hit John along with Batista's fist.

Starting to get more than a little pissed off, John grabbed Batista and banged his head against the taller man's. The impact sent him reeling and John wiped the blood away from his eye as he made his way over to Batista who was unsteadily getting to his feet. Taking the taller man's head in his hands, John was about to bang heads when something extraordinary happened. As his hands gripped the sides of Batista's head, images flashed before him; images of death, of killing and carnage the likes of which he's never before seen. Hearing The Animal groan in pain made John realize that this was his last and final ability; this was his memory revitalization, and it brought pain. Lots of pain. This realization made John feel a lot better about their fight with Batista and he looked over at Randy and Wade who were both getting to their feet, looking pissed and agitated.

"We need to cut ourselves."

"John, now's not the best time to be emo."

"We've got bigger problems on our hands than teenage angst John." John sighed and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"That's not what I'm talking about! The three components of The Cure resides in our bloodstreams. If we mix our blood with the water and cut Batista up, it should be enough to kill him."

Realization dawned upon them then and they nodded in understanding. For some odd reason, John was feeling incredibly drained and he let go of Batista, panting slightly. Some of his energy returned to him and he realized that his memory revitalization must be more energy draining that he originally thought. Stumbling away from Batista, John watched as Randy grabbed hold of him and wrestled him to the ground. Wade walked over to the pond, cut his arm open, and held it out so that the blood dripped into the pure water of Alexandria's pond. His blood turned some of the water red and when it would bleed no more, Wade stepped away from it, licking his wound before he charged at Batista and shoved him away from Randy.

Holding onto the struggling Batista, Wade banged his head onto the ground while Randy sliced open his own arm, shivering at the feeling of his blood running down his arm and into the water, mixing with Wade's. John made his way over to the pond and to Randy and his gaze met with Randy's icy blue one. Without saying a word, Randy gently grabbed John's arm with his right hand and dug a fingernail into his skin, breaking it open. Hissing at the sensation, John bit his lip and looked away while Randy proceeded to make a cut down his arm. A loud roar caused him to look up and over at Wade. He saw Batista slam his elbow back into Wade's face and then saw him charge at John and Randy.

Not even realizing what he was doing, John shoved Randy onto the ground away from him and the pond and stood rooted to the spot until Batista was in close enough range. Reaching both hands out, John grasped Batista's hot skin and used his newly gained ability to paralyze him with pain momentarily while he threw both himself and Batista into the pond. He was happy to see that there were a few cuts marring the tanned skin of The Animal, but he started to panic when he realized that he needed to get out of the water. Luckily, two pairs of arms grabbed him and forced him ashore. Gasping for air and soaking wet, John watched as The Cure met and fought with The Animal and he jumped when Batista broke the water's surface and roared, twitching and growling as The Cure took effect.

To John, it looked as though Batista were melting away into nothing and for a moment he felt sorry for him. After all, he hadn't asked to be infected with The Virus and he didn't ask to be killed. But he had done horrible things and, for that, he needed to be eradicated completely. As John watched the life being sucked from Batista, he looked up at his two lovers, both of whom were watching the grizzly scene with serious, grim expressions. Knowing that Batista was finally dying, and more than thankful that Wade and Randy weren't severely harmed or injured, John fell back onto the ground and panted, staring up at the blue tinted trees and thinking about nothing as he heard Batista's last struggles dwindle to nothing.


	14. Chapter 13: Love

A/N: I'm actually surprised that the last chapter got good reviews; I suck at action and/or fight scenes, so I'm glad you guys enjoyed it! Also, I'm toying with the idea of adding sort of deleted scenes/random facts and trivia to the final chapter – that is, if you guys want it. If you don't, then I won't post it; I just want to hear your thoughts on that idea and see if you guys are genuinely interested in all that stuff. On another note, it's sad to say, but this story is nearly complete. I've enjoyed writing it and I've loved reading your thoughts on it, but it's dwindling down to the final stretch. Here's a new chapter! R&R. Enjoy!

**Chapter Thirteen: Love**

John wasn't entirely sure how long he laid there staring up at the trees and through them, though just barely, to the dark sky above. Hours may have passed; he had no way to be sure. That didn't really matter to him though; all that mattered was that Batista was dead and Wade, Randy, and himself were alive. Wade sat down with a heavy thump beside him not long after John went down and John vaguely recalled lacing his fingers through the taller man's own digits. When Batista was completely gone, Randy laid down beside John, still breathing heavily, and wrapped his arms around him, though his grip was weak. But he knew that it was because Randy, just like Wade, was exhausted. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't realize that he had relaxed into Randy's embrace or that Wade had laid down and was cuddling closer to him.

When he did realize that he was sandwiched between his two lovers, John smiled and leaned into Wade, inhaling his scent while his hands placed themselves over Randy's. It felt so natural, so right to be wrapped in their arms and he wished that they could simply lay there forever. Deep down, however, he knew that, eventually, they'd have to get up. He didn't know if the Infected Ones had fallen with the death of their leader, but he knew that the three of them were probably needed at the battlefield. John needed to know if everyone was okay, he needed to know who had died, who had been injured, and who had survived. The nagging sensation eventually won him over and he struggled to sit up, half because he couldn't and half because he didn't want to.

Reluctantly, John tore himself from the arms of his mates and he shook his head, trying to center himself. He could feel their eyes on him; Wade's green and Randy's icy blues and they caused a pleasant shiver to crawl up his spine. After all was said and done, he really wanted to spend some time with them; he had missed them so much and he hadn't had the time to dwell on that simple fact given the recent events. His thoughts were interrupted by Wade's voice and his statement brought a brief smile to his face.

"We should go back. The others might need us and besides there's nothing left for us here."

Nodding, John looked over his shoulder at Randy and Wade and his eyes met theirs. Holding in an exhausted sigh, John slowly made his way to his feet, stumbling slightly, but he remained standing. Turning to face the two men still on the ground, he smiled down at them tiredly and held out both hands for them to take. Randy took hold and hoisted himself up, cracking his neck and flexing his arms. John then pulled Wade up who stood unsteadily on his feet. It wasn't until he started walking that John noticed that he had a slight limp in his right leg. Hoping that it wasn't something too severe, John reached up and patted the taller man on his shoulder, caressing it gently before he let his hand fall. Flashing him a brief smile, Wade looked around before he spoke.

"Right, let's get a move on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll know what's happened."

Randy grunted in agreement while John merely nodded. Together, the three of them made their way back through the forestry and out into the desert. It took longer to return to the battle field than it had to leave it, but John knew it was because of his lack of adrenaline coursing through his system. By the time they saw the first signs of the battle field, the sky had become lighter; dawn would soon be upon them and with it, the revelation of what went on in their absence during the major fighting. The first thing John's mind processed when he had arrived was the smell of smoke, blood, and charred remains. It was an odd mixture, one which was extremely unpleasant, but he knew that it would be one that would stay with him for many years.

As they continue approaching the area, John saw that dark blood and bodies littered the ground and he felt his stomach tightening at the sight of it. Sure, he expected to see it, but the reality of it was far worse than any images conjured up by his mind. When they had moved closer to the scene, someone spotted them and called out, weaving through the bodies and the injured to get to them. As the man got closer, John saw, to his relief, that it was Evan. The smaller man looked perfectly fine, if only a little frazzled, and he wondered if Evan fought at all.

"Oh thank goodness that you're all okay! We've been worried sick, wondering if you guys got Batista or if he got you. We knew he was dead when the Infected Ones started losing a lot of their strength, but we just weren't sure." Evan's arms were around John's neck in a matter of seconds and John felt himself returning the hug, smiling a bit at the energy the younger man possessed.

"How is everyone? Did everyone…make it?" Randy asked, the strain of the fight with Batista quite obvious in his voice. Evan let go and looked up at all three of them, a sad look on his face.

"No…not everyone's okay. We have casualties and injuries… It's been hard…" At seeing the expression on Evan's face, John asked the question that had popped into his mind when Evan first pulled away.

"How's Kane doing, Evan?" Tears welled up in Evan's eyes and John reached out and pulled him into a hug.

"F-fine. Alive, but he…he lost an arm and he bled…a lot. It was so scary. And it wouldn't have happened if I had been paying attention."

"I'm sure he doesn't see it that way, Ev. He'll be fine; he's tougher than he looks." Nodding, Evan sniffed, trying to regain some control over himself before he pulled away and flashed an unconvincing smile up at John.

"Yeah, h-he is pretty tough. I guess you wanna see how the others are doing, huh?" Without even waiting for their answers, Evan walked away, taking the path he had used to get to them. John started after him, following by Randy and Wade, and carefully, so as not to disturb any of the bodies on the ground, they followed Evan.

John made his way slowly, looking at the blood, the bodies, and the limbs that scattered the desert sand. The sun was just starting to rise, and it was already starting to get hot, which meant that the bodies were probably decaying a lot quicker than usual. It was sad to see his kinsman dead and torn apart, even the Infected Ones; after all, they had once been just like Evan, just like him: normal humanoid beings. Were it not for Batista… No, that wasn't right; blame him wasn't right either. After all, it was Noba who created Batista and who injected The Virus into him; who knows what else he did to make Batista what he was. Perhaps it he hadn't had The Virus in him, Batista would have been normal as well, maybe even someone John could have been friends with, but he'd never know now.

A familiar face made John stop in his tracks and, carefully, he turned left, trying his best to avoid stepping on a limb or on someone. After walking a few feet from where Randy and Wade were standing, he crouched down and stared down at Morrison's body. Sadness overcame him; even though he didn't know him all that well, he had liked Morrison and had been glad to see him so ready and anxious to fight. Now, he could never thank him. A small blonde girl approached him, and he looked up at her.

"I'm sorry." His voice sounded strange, even to his own ears, and he didn't really understand why he was apologizing to this girl about Morrison. She nodded and bit her lip, looking down at the brunette who appeared to be merely sleeping, though that obviously wasn't the case.

"It's okay. John wouldn't have wanted you to be sad. He went out with a bang just like he wanted to, and he save a lot of people when he did so. It's how he wanted it, so it'll be okay."

Numbly, John rose to his feet and walked back to Randy and Wade, keeping his gaze focused to the dark red and yellow ground. Randy rubbed his back while Wade pulled him into a one armed hug and kissed his temple lovingly. Stepping out of their reach, John continued down Evan's path, trying not to look around him, just in case. However, a voice calling his name caused him to look up and over at the right. Sitting on a wooden log was Justin with Heath by his side. Relief flooded him, as well as overwhelming happiness, and John knew that Wade would be following him this time. Quickly, they made their way to the pair and immediately talking ensued.

"So, didja get 'im Wade?"

"How are you three felling? Any injuries? I call heal them for you."

"Man, you missed one intense fight, naw mean? Almost lost my head. Literally. See the bandages?"

"Were either of you two severely hurt?" Wade's question stopped the babble coming from the pair and Justin looked at Heath who tried to shrug it off.

"It's just like Heath said: he almost lost his head. See those bandages? Thanks to Trish, he was saved. Barely."

"Justin, I hate it when you use that tone. You know I hate it!" John watched with a slightly bemused expression at the two. Then, his eyes widened when he spotted something he hadn't seen on either of them before: matching serial numbers on their rib cages. He wasn't all that surprised by this, and yet, in a way, he kind of was.

"Well, I'm glad you two are safe. I was worried." Heath scoffed at Wade while Justin gave him a smile.

"You worry too much. You'll turn into an old man if ya keep doin' that, Wade."

"You're probably right. Well, I suppose we should go and check everyone else out. We'll catch up later, yeah?" With twin nods at the taller man, the two went back to what they were previously doing as John and Wade returned to Randy and Evan, who was standing with his hands on his hips.

"You guys are so slow. Even I can move faster than that. Come on, Chris wants to see you guys."

John spotted where they were heading, towards the giant bon fire that had lit the area the night before. It was out now, looking as though water had drenched it as well as the sand around it. Bodies of the dead were line up with white sheets thrown over top of them. Those were we injured were either being attended to or healing themselves. Thankfully though, he saw that Chris wasn't one of them and neither was Undertaker. Both were sitting together with Kane, Ted, and Cody, all of whom looked up at them as they approached.

"Did you miss me?" Evan practically hurled himself into Kane, who grunted when the smaller man's body collided with his. John saw that he was missing an arm, but Kane didn't appear to mind or even notice as he wrapped his remaining arm tightly and possessively around his mate's waist.

"Don't ask such silly questions, Evan. Of course I missed you."

"It's about time you three get your asses back here. I thought I'd have to come and help you, you were gone so long. God, am I going to have to give you guys time limits from now on or what?"

Chris' voice grabbed John's attention and he gasped when he saw the state that the blonde was in. Huge red tinting gauze-like bandages covered what must have been a really nasty cut from his left shoulder to his right rib cage. His right arm looked severely burned and painful while his left arm was covered in white bandage wraps that had bloody spots all over them. Bruises dotted his body and his lip was busted, but he was alive. And that's what really mattered. Wade's sharp intake of breath told John that he too was worried, but relieved at the state of his mentor. Even Randy looked concerned.

"It's not as bad as it looks so quit gawking. So, how was Batista? I bet the fucker put up one hell of a fight."

"He did. It wasn't looking too good, but we got him. He's no more." Wade's voice shook slightly and John reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it for reassurance.

"I told you that you'd win. However, the price for some has been much more severe than for others." Undertaker had a bloody lip and some scratches, but other than that he was fine. However, it was the man himself that John was looking at; instead, his gaze followed Undertaker's and he spotted the Miz's body lying on the ground with Alex Riley kneeling beside him, hands spread over him and a vague, green mist pouring from his hands.

"Alex is exhausted, but he hasn't given up trying to resurrect Mike for hours."

"How did he…?" The question just slipped out, but John didn't really care at this point. All he cared about what the sheer look of agony on Alex's face and the sadness, anger, and hatred that was fueling his entire being, all of which he knew belonged to Alex and not himself.

"Strangulation. It seems odd, but Alex was being overwhelmed by Infected Ones, so Mike did what anyone with a mate would do: he got in there and beat the shit out of them. However, he let his guard down and one just came up and, well, I'm sure you can put the rest together."

"I didn't know Riley had the ability to resurrect someone. It's a very rare ability." Randy's voice was soft and thick and John realized that both he and Wade were probably feeling the same things that John was from Alex. He knew that he'd be in extreme amounts of pain if either Randy or Wade had been severely injured, let alone killed… He reached over and pulled Randy to him, resting his head on Randy's shoulder, and breathed in his scent.

"Aside from me, he's the only one of our kind that has that ability. And he's been trying like hell to use it. However, the more worn out and exhausted you are, the longer it takes. Like I said, he's been at it for hours." Undertaker's voice was drowned out by a loud, pain-filled cry from Alex.

"Goddamn it Michael! You're not allowed to leave me like this you stubborn bastard! Not now, not ever! You hear me?"

"I highly doubt if Michael will-" Once more, his voice was cut off by loud, obnoxious coughing and, within a few seconds, Miz sat up, clutching his throat and gasping for breath. After a split second, Alex launched himself at Miz and hugged him tightly, crying tears of joy and relief.

"Mike! I'm so fucking glad you're alive." He pulled back and punched Mike in the arm as hard as he could. Even Randy winced at it and John chuckled softly.

"OW! What the fuck was that for, 'Lex?"

"For scaring the crap outta me, you idiot! Never, ever do that again! You hear me?"

"Ah, young love."

"Doesn't it just warm your heart up? Almost like chicken noodle soup, only not really." John turned around and saw Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley prance over to them, kicking and stepping on the bodies of Infected Ones, not seeming to care about what they were doing. Although he didn't know them at all, and still didn't really trust them completely, he was relieved to see them.

"Hey! You two are alright!" Sabin smirked while Alex held up his bandaged arm and frowned.

"Uh, this does not look all right to me. I'm lucky that Sabin was there to back me up, or my ass would have been dead."

"And I'd never let anyone kick that ass, but me, so here he is. As annoying and twisted as ever."

"You love me. Don't deny it."

"Wasn't going to."

"So what will you guys be doing now that Batista and the Infected Ones are no more?" John wasn't trying to be obvious at interrupting them, but he couldn't help it. Although he liked them, he didn't want to hear them banter all day. Actually, now that he really thought about it, all he wanted to do was curl up on a nice, big, comfortable bed and snuggle between Wade and Randy. God, that sounded like absolute heaven right now.

"We'll probably walk around and then get the hell out of here. Since the Stalkers aren't needed anymore, we'll disband and then…I dunno what we'll do." Alex scoffed at Chris and looked up at him.

"You are so not getting rid of my ass."

"Wasn't trying to. Later John. Take care." Without another word, they turned and left the way they arrived last night. John looked up at Randy and saw that the tanned man was gazing at Ted and Cody, who were sitting a little ways behind Chris and Undertaker. Cody was cooing over Ted who had a lot of nasty looking welts and burns on his torso and was missing a hand. Blood caked on his forehead and he looked exhausted.

"Teddy, are you sure you're okay?" Cody's voice was soft and filled with concern. John saw that on his arm he had the serial numbers as Ted had and a small grin spread across his face; he had been right, they were made for each other.

"Baby Boy, I swear, if ya ask me that one more time, I will seriously hurt you. Now stop. Hey, boss. Is it all taken care of?"

"Yeah, it's all taken care of. After we've rested for a bit, I want to talk to you about something, but until then, get some rest and take care. And Cody, be sure to take care of him as well. He needs it." Randy then turned to Undertaker.

"Where are the lodgings for Morrison's tribe?"

"Underground and little ways to the east. Chris can take you there. Oh, and Wade, we'll need your help in disposing of the dead Infected Ones." Wade hesitated before he asked.

"What help?"

"We need you to open a hole in the earth for us to throw the Infected Ones into. Think you can do that?"

"Sure. Sure no problem." Undertaker nodded to him.

"Tomorrow then, when we're all rested and feeling a bit better. Now, Chris, if you don't mind…" Chris got up and smirked at them, his usual cockiness surrounding him like a veil.

"No problem. I can take care of our three big guys. See you later Mark." Chris led the way and, like little baby chicks, John, Randy, and Wade followed him.

"What did you mean by 'three big guys'? We really didn't do anything except kill Batista. We could have been way more helpful to you." Looking behind him, Chris narrowed his eyes at John and frowned at him.

"Believe me, you three did the most out of anyone. We were getting our asses whooped until Batista died, then the Infected Ones were like sitting ducks. They were too disoriented to see what hit them, so after Batista died, it was an easy win. Most of the injuries and casualties occurred before their leader died, so don't feel bad or useless or anything like that because you're not. So suck it up and put on your big boy panties."

Dumbfounded, John merely nodded meekly before he looked at Wade, who looked a bit embarrassed, and then at Randy, who was trying hard not to laugh. They walked for about ten minutes before came to what appeared to be a well. Chris told them to stand back and he approached it and shouted down into it, his voice echoing as he did so. After a few seconds, the air around them rippled and then their surroundings literally melted away to reveal a high rock stair well that led into the desert city that was Morrison's tribe's home.

"Yeah, pretty damn cool, isn't it? Kofi's really good at mirages and barriers so he's been charged with protecting the place. Come on, you guys need to clean up because you look and smell like hell, and you need some rest. And probably some sex. Just saying."

John laughed as he stumbled forward, trying to following Chris down the stairwell. Exhaustion was taking him over and he needed Randy and Wade both to help him down the stairs. He didn't really care though. Soon, he'd be washed up and ready to lay down with his two mates, the two people that he would give up anything and everything for. As they made their way to the city, random thoughts swirled around in his head and made him feel a little bit better about having accomplished what he was set out to do.

_It was so scary…_

_ Yeah, h-he is pretty tough._

_ It's how he wanted it, so it'll be okay._

_ You missed one intense fight, naw mean?_

_ Of course I missed you._

_ You're not allowed to leave me like this!_

_ And I'd never let anyone kick that ass, but me._

_ You did the most out of anyone. ..So suck it up and put on your big boy panties._

_ It'll be okay._

_ It'll be okay…_


	15. Epilogue: Over

A/N: Here it is; the final chapter. It's been one helluva time writing this story, reading your reviews, and just an overall great experience for me. I've got other plans in the future, but this story will stay with me for a long time. After I'm done writing and posting this, I shall finish up my homework, play some _Animal Crossing_, and then curl up on my boyfriend's bed and bawl my eyes out. Thank you all so much for your support, your reviews, and for reading this. I hope that you continue to follow me and read my stories and give me feedback. Thank you all so much. R&R. Enjoy.

**Epilogue: Over**

He didn't want to leave them, at least not so soon. They had only just begun to become familiar with each other once again, after so long, but he needed to do this. No, he _had_ to do this; he wouldn't be himself if he didn't and he couldn't be with them properly until he did it. So he left them. Both were still asleep, though he thought he saw Randy's icy blues open slightly before he left, but he was probably just imagining things. And even if Randy did wake up and stir Wade out of his peaceful slumber, they'd have no idea where he was going or what he was planning.

At least, that's what he told himself.

In actuality, they probably knew what he was up to and were probably giving him some space. With all that went on after he was first told of Steve's death, he hadn't really had the proper time to mourn over his fallen friend, his father… Sure, the Doctor was his real father, the one who actually created him, but he was closer to Steve; always had been and always will be. The Doctor probably knew that and probably understood it as well.

It had taken him days to return to Taback Forest, but the journey hadn't been an unpleasant one. He liked being alone for a change; it gave him time to sort out his thoughts, his feelings, and it gave him time to cry, really cry, for his loss. Of course he felt bad for leaving his two mates behind, the two that had been trying to help him through so much. A small laugh escaped him when he realized that he still had those love bites on his skin from all of his activities with Randy and Wade, but he was embarrassed by them. On the contrary, he liked having them; it gave him a sense of belonging. He was definitely theirs just as they were his and nothing was going to change that.

He sighed and stood up, cracking his back as he did so. Placing the shovel down he stepped out of the hole and wiped the sweat that had been pouring down his face for hours now. As his bright blue eyes stared at the grave, his thoughts wandered. Chris had taken them to a very nice hotel and they got the chance to wash themselves clean and get rid of the final essences of Batista. After that, they went to bed, with the intentions of sleeping although that didn't go as planned. Far from it actually; being sandwiched between Randy and Wade had turned him on like nothing else ever had and the spent the majority of the day wrapped in love and lust and passion and tenderness. It was blissful, but it didn't make him forget.

Even before he left, he knew the perfect place for Steve's grave. It was the most beautiful place John had ever seen and he knew that Steve, wherever his spirit was, would think so too. So, he made his way to Taback Forest, retrieved Steve's body, and carried it all the way back to Silent Lake. The water that had once been red and bubbling with his blood, Randy's blood, Wade's blood, and Batista's body, had now returned to its pure, crystal clear form that still emitted its odd blue glow. He knew that Alexandria was the cause for that blue glow, but he didn't mind it. Actually, he found it peaceful and reassuring, even with the dead quiet that exuded from her grave.

Looking over his shoulder, his eyes fell upon Steve's body, wrapped in white and tucked in around him neatly. Gently, he crouched down beside it and maneuvered his arms underneath his friend's body, picking it up and carrying it over to the grave. Slowly, he lowered Steve's body into the hole and adjusted him so it'd be a comfortable fit. He stared at him for a long while before he bowed his head and spoke for the first time in days.

"You were my best friend, my father, and you deserved better than me. I just hope that burying you here, in this beautiful, serene place, can make up for it, at least somewhat."

Even to his own ears, his voice sounded strange, hoarse and flat, practically numb, but he really didn't care. Picking up his shovel, he scooped the dirt up and started filling in the grave. It didn't take as long as it had to dig the hole, but it felt like hours upon hours to him. When he had patted down the dirt, he knelt down and placed his dog tags at the head of the grave, the one thing that Steve had given him after he woke up.

"John." The voice was soft and was clearly trying not to startle him, but he jumped anyway. John looked over his shoulder and a small, sad smile made its way on his face.

"Wade. Randy. What are you two doing here?" Both men walked over to him and crouched down beside him. Randy pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back before he let go and allowed for Wade to do the same.

"Where you go, we go. We knew you needed time, but we were worried about you." Wade's voice was soft and gentle and it was only then that John realized how much he had missed hearing their voices.

"So we followed you. We would have revealed ourselves, but we knew you wanted to be alone." Randy's voice was just as gentle as Wade's and John smiled when he finally noticed that they weren't bickering.

"You two aren't fighting anymore." A soft chuckle emanated from Wade's throat while Randy nodded.

"You're right. We're not. I may not care for Wade as much as I should, but I can't keep hurting you like I was. So, we reached an agreement." John pulled away from Wade and smiled at the two of them.

"I'm glad. Your fighting really got on my nerves. I love both of you and I want to be with both of you. It took you a while to figure that out." Randy looked sheepish. Wade merely grinned his bad boy smile and shrugged.

"I may be a gentleman, but I don't give up on the things I love most." A faint blush crossed John's face, but before he could respond another voice interrupted their little private moment.

"Somehow, I knew I'd find you guys here." Looking up, John saw Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley sauntering over to them, both looking better than they had when he last saw them.

"What are you two doing here?"

"This is my mom's grave too. I came to say hi and place some flowers on her grave." It was only then that he saw the loose flowers held in Alex's hand. The two approached the pond's edge and placed each individual flower on the water. When they were done, a beautiful canvas of floating flowers was gliding quietly on the water.

"It's lovely here. So peaceful…" John's voice trailed off. Chris and Alex both nodded in agreement. He watched the pair who merely continued to stare at the water. Alex reached out and grabbed Chris' hand, holding it reassuringly in his own.

"You two are together." Wade's statement brought them back and they looked down at the three of them. Chris smirked while Alex nodded and grinned.

"How will that work? Won't you outlive Alex? I mean, our kind doesn't age and we don't die of old age or natural causes, so how will that work?" Randy's question sounded mean and harsh and John jabbed him with his elbow, making him growl. But neither Chris nor Alex looked upset about his questions.

"That guy…Mike was it? Yeah, he helped us out with that little problem." Alex's explanation confused them, so Chris expanded it, rolling his eyes at his lover.

"He can detect bonds between soul mates and stuff, so we asked him for a favor."

"He linked our souls together, so I'll be reborn again and Chris will be able to find me."

"Besides, I am half human too, so I'll probably die eventually."

"You have a point there. Well, I'm glad you've worked out that problem. I know I'd be lost if Randy or Wade were to die on me. Actually, I'd probably be a train wreck." Chris and Alex nodded in agreement with John.

"Well, we'd better get going."

"What are your plans now that the Stalkers are no longer needed?" Wade asked them before they left. Alex shrugged while Chris shook his head.

"We'll wing it and see what happens. Who knows? Maybe we'll give you guys a call and see if you wanna kick some ass and all that jazz. See ya."

"Those two are so fucking weird. Why do you like them again?" Randy looked at John who shrugged and turned his gaze back to the pond. He watched the flowers dance on top of the water as he responded.

"Not too sure, but they kind of remind me of you two. That's probably why." Randy opened his mouth to retort by Wade beat him to the punch.

"Just drop it Randy. At least he didn't compare you to Mike." Nodding, Randy laid his one arm on John's shoulder while Wade scooted closer to the shorter man.

"What are we going to do now, love?" At Wade's question, John merely shrugged and continued watching the flowers dance.

"As long as I'm with you and Randy, I don't care what we do. I've got all I need right here."

Wade and Randy smiled and John leaned back against them, reveling in their warmth and their touch.

Regardless of what happened here on out, as long as he had Randy and Wade, he'd be fine. They were all he could ask for and all that he needed. Nothing more, and nothing less.

**The End**

A/N: I don't usually do special thanks, but for this one, I feel like I must. So, a special thanks goes to IsidoraAngst for all of your support, your reviews, and your friendship; our conversations are most interesting and I enjoy having them. A special thanks to VelvetKiller for reading my story and for your reviews, which always manage to make me smile. To cenarko1986 for your support right from the get go; I'm glad you've liked the story. To Cena'sPrincess for your support and reviews. And last, but certainly not least, to everyone else who read, reviewed, and have supported me throughout this story. I HEART YOU!


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